Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2)

Author: Laini Taylor
Goodreads Rating: 4.29
Length: 15 Hours, 17 Minutes
Format: Audio book from the Library

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Goodreads Rating: 3.78
Pages: 563
Format: Nook Book

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.At least, that's what I thought.Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.There was a curse.There was a girl.And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Mila 2.0

Author: Debra Driza
Goodreads Rating: 3.70
Pages: 470
Format: ARC from Swap

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.
Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.
Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.
Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

Ink

Author: Amanda Sun
Goodreads Rating: 3.64
Pages: 3.26
Format: ARC from BEA13

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.
Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2)

Author: Maureen Johnson
Goodreads Rating: 3.86
Pages: 290
Format: ARC from NYCC12

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Deveaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades--the city's secret ghost-fighting police--are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late. In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated THE NAME OF THE STAR, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Cover Reveal: Salt by Danielle Ellison

Today Danielle Ellison and Entangled Teen are revealing the cover for SALT, releasing in early 2014! Check out the gorgeous cover, exclusive excerpt, and enter to win an eARC! I met Danielle at BEA in 2012 while waiting on line in the Harper Signing and it was great. Finding out that she would be published was even better. When I got a chance to be part of the Cover Reveal, I was dying to be part of it.

And Without Further Adu...

On to the reveal!

About the Book

SALT

Author: Danielle Ellison

Release Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes
& Noble/iTunes

Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents—and stole her magic. Since then, she’s been pretending to be something she’s not, using her sister’s magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent
away.

When she’s finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister’s help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find
"her" demon. To take back what was stolen.

Then she meets Carter. He’s cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret—but he also has one of his own.

Suddenly, Penelope’s impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter’s not telling her everything, and it’s starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda…and they’re far too interested in her.

Exclusive Excerpt!

 “Jealousy is cute on you, Pen.”

“Don't call me that,” I snap, pushing my coffee away from me. “And I'm not jealous.”

He leans back on the chair. "Sure. And I don’t think you’re adorable." I jerk my eyes up. He’s smiling. Screw this—this is so frustrating. I tap my foot under the table.

"We're stating the facts, right?" he says.

“Right,” I say.

I don’t have time for this. And what is wrong with this coffee? I feel like I swallowed a fire and it’s all just burning at my stomach.

“You look sick again,” he says.

The poorly—or perfectly—timed waitress comes back with Carter's coffee and a whole tray of drinks. Carter, obviously, flirts again. I don’t know if he’s doing it to get a reaction out of me, but I’m not going to give him one. I watch him and say nothing, but the whole time it feels darker inside my head and my stomach whirs. It’s more empty, and more full, and unsettled at once. The waitress turns to leave a when it happens.

The waitress coughs, as if she suddenly can’t breathe, and trips. She flies across the air. The tray spills all over a table of four. I gasp, horrified. Another waitress grabs her by the waist, trying to give her the
Heimlich. The waitress coughs out the gum. She’s crying hysterically, apologizing to the customers dripping with water.

The weirdest part? As soon it happens, all the fury that was building up inside of me disappears. It’s calm again, normal. The change is so sudden that my fingernails dig into the table. All I can hear is the waitress’s cry.

"I don't know what happened," she sobs over and over again. I close my eyes. Everything inside me is completely still. No storm, no clawing, no emptiness or fullness. In fact, I’m suddenly starving. Carter's looking at me when I open my eyes. There's something unsettling in his gaze, something suspicious.

“I gotta go,” I say. He starts to say something. I don't stay long enough to find out what it is. Somehow I just did magic.

About Danielle:

Danielle Ellison is from a small town in West Virginia. She spent her childhood pretending to fly and talking to imaginary friends. When she grew up, she finally flew away (in an airplane) and started traveling the world. She hasn’t stopped yet, but someday she may decide to settle in one
place. Her real life friends would definitely like that; they would probably also like if she stopped talking to her characters out loud.



SALT comes out in January 2014, and then it's sequel. In October 2014, FOLLOW ME
THROUGH DARKNESS (book one of the BOUNDLESS Trilogy) comes out. She's got a
busy few years! 

Website/Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads





Giveaway Details:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Aquifer

Author: Jonathan Friesen
Goodreads Rating: 3.43
Pages: 303
Format: ARC from ALA13

Only he can bring what they need to survive...
In 2250, water is scarce, and those who control it control everything. And they’ll do anything to maintain their power – deceiving, dividing families, banning love... even killing those who oppose them.
But above all, they seek to control knowledge and communication – ensuring the truth that will bring their downfall will never be known. But one person verges on discovering it all.
Sixteen-year-old Luca becomes the Deliverer, the only one allowed to contact the people called ‘Water Rats,’ who mine the essential water deep underground and bring it to the ‘Toppers’ who desperately need it above. 
But when he meets a Water Rat who captures his heart and leads him to secrets – secrets about a vast conspiracy, and about himself – the net around him tightens. Luca and those around him must uncover and share the truth needed to overthrow tyranny – even as they fight for their lives.

NaNoWriMo

I just wanted to apologize for my absence this month. I've been doing NaNoWriMo which has made blogging and reading a little difficult. I've got a ton of posts up coming for December. Sorry all!

Raven Rise (Pendragon #9)

Author: D. J. MacHale 
Goodreads Rating: 4.25
Pages: 560
Format: Finished Copy

This is where it begins. The showdown for Halla. At stake is nothing less than all that ever was and all that will be.There's only one thing missing--Bobby Pendragon.

While Bobby remains trapped on Ibara, the battle moves to his home territory: Second Earth. Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde are left on their own to defend Second Earth agsinst the forces of Saint Dane. They must face off against a charismatic cult leader who has risen to power by revealing a shattering truth to the people of Earth: They are not alone.

The Convergence has broken down the walls. The territories are on a collision course. The final phase of Saint Dane's quest to rule Halla is under way.

And Bobby Pendragon is nowhere to be found.

Replica

Author: Jenna Black
Goodreads Rating: 3.64
Pages: 368
Format: ARC from ALA13

Sixteen-year-old Nadia Lake comes from a high-class Executive family in the Corporate States. Her marriage has been arranged with the most powerful family in her state, which means she lives a life of privilege but also of public scrutiny, followed everywhere by photographers, every detail of her private life tabloid fodder. But her future is assured, as long as she can maintain her flawless public image — no easy feat when your betrothed is a notorious playboy.
Nathan Hayes is the heir of Paxco — controller of the former state of New York, and creator of human replication technology, science that every state and every country in the world would kill to have. Though Nadia and Nate aren’t in love, they’ve grown up close, and they (and the world) are happy enough with their match.
Until Nate turns up dead, and as far as everyone knows, Nadia was the last person to see him alive.
When the new Nate wakes up in the replication tanks, he knows he must have died, but with a memory that only reaches to his last memory backup, he doesn’t know what killed him. Together, Nadia and Nate must discover what really happened without revealing the secrets that those who run their world would kill to protect.

The Princess In the Opal Mask: Interview with Jenny Lundquist

Earlier this morning, I posted my review of The Princess in the Opal Mask, I really enjoyed it, and my excitement got to go a little further when I was able to interview the author, Jenny Lunquist. If you don't know Jenny, you can read a little bit more about her here.

Jenny Lundquist grew up in Huntington Beach, California, wearing glasses and wishing they had magic powers. They didn't, but they did help her earn a degree in intercultural studies at Biola University. Jenny has painted an orphanage in Mexico, taught English at a university in Russia, and hopes one day to write a book at a café in Paris. Jenny and her husband live in northern California with their two sons and Rambo, the world's whiniest cat.

You can find her on Facebook or Twitter or her Blog!

Without further adieu, onto the interview!

Which sister do you relate to more?

I relate to both sisters, but I suppose Wilha is a little bit more like me. In high school I was really insecure and somewhat fearful. While I admire Elara’s grit and toughness, I am not like her at all. Originally, I was only going to tell the story from Elara’s perspective, but as I got to know Wilha more, I really liked her, and wondered if the story should be told from her POV instead. Ultimately I decided that the best way to do justice to the book was to split the narrative between both girls, a decision I am so happy with, as I feel like it’s given more depth to the story as a whole.

What would your mask look like?

If I was stuck wearing a mask on my face day in and day out, you can bet that, like Wilha’s, it would have a ton of bling. Opals, diamonds, gold and gilt, you name it. Who would actually be paying for me to have this ultra expensive mask, I have no idea, but that’s the type I’d be hoping for.

When writing the book, did you draw your own Map? If so do you care to share?

Sure! I did a rough sketch of the map that existed in my head and handed it in to my illustrator, the talented Teresa Bonaddio, at Running Press. It’s incredibly difficult for me to even draw stick people, so it took several tries for me to even get the simple sketch down. After I sent it to Teresa, she drafted up the fantastic version that made it into the book (and, unlike mine, doesn’t look like a kindergartener drew it). And, because I’m working on the sequel, I needed them to add in extra places that did not appear in my original sketch or in The Princess in the Opal Mask. Spoiler alert for the sequel: It’s possible that one or both of the girls just might find themselves back in Galandria at some point and journeying to new places!

When did The Princess in the Opal Mask become an idea for a book?

That’s a difficult question to answer, as the story came to me in pieces over a period of almost ten years. I think the precise moment when I knew I had a story I needed to tell was one night when an image just “jumped” into my head: Of a dirty, neglected teenage girl sitting on a wooden stool. A door opened in front of her, and whatever she saw caused her features to twist with shock and horror. The writer in me wondered what could surprise her so much. So I swung my “mental POV camera” around, and when I saw what was behind the door, I was shocked, too. I think that’s when I knew I absolutely had a story. Chapters 16-18 of the finished book are a direct result of that image.

Even though this is your third book, how did it feel knowing that you were going to be published again?

It felt just as exciting as the first time, particularly since this is my first YA book. And it’s particularly sweet since these characters have been with me for so long. After so many years, Elara and Wilha seem like real people to me, and I’m hoping others will like them just as much as I do.

What sort of research went into this book?

Although this book is set in a fictional kingdom, there’s a bit of seventeenth and eighteenth century French history that have slightly influenced elements of the story, so I did a little reading on that time period. Also, does Googling pictures of masquerade masks qualify as research? Because I did a whole lot of that. I keep a board here on Pinterest of images that inspired me while I was writing the book, and I pinned some of the more colorful masks I drooled over.

 

In the course of looking at all the masks I found out about The Carnival of Venice, a festival held in—you guessed it!—Venice, wherein people wear masks and make merry. It’s now on my bucket list to attend that event. One day, I’m going to rock a Venetian mask and costume!

How many books do you have planned for this world?

I’m currently working on the sequel, which is the final book in the series. I’m having a blast writing it, and while I don’t want to give anything specific away, I’ll just say that readers can expect more in the second book. More romance, more adventure, more fun!

You can find more tour stops here!

The Princess in the Opal Mask

Author: Jenny Lunquist
Goodreads Rating: 3.67
Pages: 352
Format: ARC from ALA 

Every Fairy-Tale Ending Has a Price. . . .
Orphaned as a child in the crumbling village of Tulan, Elara is determined to learn her true identity, even if it means wielding a dagger. Meanwhile, in Galandria's royal capital, Princess Wilha stands out as someone to either worship or fear. Though no one knows why the king has always made her conceal her face--including Wilha herself.
When an assassination attempt threatens the peace of neighboring kingdoms, Elara and Wilha are brought face to face . . . with a chance at claiming new identities. However, with dark revelations now surfacing, both girls will need to decide if brighter futures are worth the binding risks.

Champion (Legend #3)

Author: Marie Lu
Goodreads Rating: 4.65
Pages: 384
Format: Finished Copy

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!
He is a Legend.She is a Prodigy.Who will be Champion? 
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Girl in Translation

Author: Jean Kwok
Goodreads Rating: 3.94
Pages: 304
Format: Finished Copy Purchased

Introducing a fresh, exciting Chinese-American voice, an inspiring debut about an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures.
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition. Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles.
Through Kimberly’s story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about. 
Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant-a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation.

Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone

Author: Kat Rosenfield
Goodreads Rating: 3.47
Pages: 304
Format: ARC from Swap

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent
Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.
Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

Dollhouse Asylum

Author: Mary Gray
Goodreads Rating: 3.66
Pages: 296
Format: ARC from BEA13

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

ALA Recap

Oh my goodness my friends. I had the craziest two days I think that I have ever had. I was really nervous when it was the night before and I all I did was ask myself "What was I thinking!?" Two days? Not even two full days? At a Book Conference? In a city I had never been to before?

Needless to say, it was two of the best days I've ever had. We had a 6AM flight out of New York, and we landed shortly before 8AM in Chicago where I don't think I can even explain my excitement at being there. I love traveling be it road trips or really anything. I don't get to do it often, and more so now, having a big kid job, it makes traveling hard.

Everyone said that I was crazy for doing this. For dragging my poor, wonderful boyfriend to Chicago for a book convention. I didn't think we would get to do much sight seeing, and I'm sure we missed a ton of really cool things, but I got to see everything that I wanted to, eat what I wanted to, and even grab all the cool books that I wanted!

So excited I couldn't even talk.

So where was? 8AM we made it to Chicago, and we didn't make it to the convention center until like 8:30. I didn't realize that my hotel was attached to the convention center so I made the poor man drive to the center even though it was right there. I guess it was only fair as we drove in a circle (3 Times to the same Hotel) when I was jittery and wanted to get to ALA. I just wanted to be there already!

Right away we hooked up with Bailey and her mom Jamie, and they gave me the lowdown on what ALA was like as this was my first time there. They told me about how they have a post office in the hall, on the floor! (BEA Listen up!) I mostly wandered while Mike went to hold my spot in line for Sarah Dessen because I missed her at BEA, no way that was happening again...

The Bean!

Right away I got a ton of books, and when I went to meet Mike on line, he was shocked as I had to organize everything. (I also won't lie, I ditched the books with him so that I could free up my shoulders and walk around a little bit.) We wound up leaving a little early to check into the hotel which was actually a really awesome place. There was a fitness center and pool (Which I knew when I booked it, but by the time that it came time to go 6 months later, I left my bathing suit at home.) 

Amazing.

I think my favorite part of this trip was that I was able to not just do the conference, but also see some of Chicago. I didn't feel tied down to the Convention Center because I didn't have to be at a signing at least once an hour. I was able to get out and sight see and we got to see so many sights! We went to see the Bean, and we got to walk around Chicago. I never realized how artsy this city was.

I was terrified and I loved it.

Of course we went and tried some Deep Dish Pizza which was delicious and I was only able to eat while slice while Mike had 3. We had to walk the pizza off, and we decided to do that while visiting the Skytower. It was a really amazing experience, and I would love to repeat it! I think the biggest problem is that it was completely packed and you couldn't get a chance to do something fun because everyone wanted to push their way into the 4 little boxes that hovered over the city. It was terrifying sitting on that because while I understood I was in a safe little box, it did not feel like I was in a safe little box.

We spent most of the next day in the hall as well, wandering around, sadly, Bailey and her mom had to leave somewhat early, because they were flying out Sunday the same way we were. The remainder of our last day was spent wandering before we caught or flight back home. Which was a pain, but thats a story for another time. I cannot wait to go back and explore another new city!

All the great books!

PS. Sorry this took so long to get up, but better late than never, yeah?

Tormet (Fallen #2)

Author: Lauren Kate
Goodreads Rating: 3.92
Length: 9.7 Hours
Format: Audiobook from Library

Hell on earth.
That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.
At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous.
What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?
The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

Conjured

Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Goodreads Rating: 3.47
Pages: 368
Format: ARC from ALA13

Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.
At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.