{Cover Crazy} 8: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Cover Crazy is hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms! Stop by and join in on the fun.

This week I am crazy about the cover for:

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind. 
Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. 
The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary. 

I Love absoluetly everything about this cover; the concept, the colours and everything! I like how the concept from Wither is still present yet it has a life of its own! I cannot wait to read the second book in this amazing series! 

{Review} Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Release Date: 15 November 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Age Group: Young Adult

Format: eBook

Pages: 352

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 5 Stars- Wonderful 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. 
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. 
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now. 
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. 

My Thoughts:

 There was a lot of hype for this book and I was absolutely glad to find that this addictive book lived up to the hype. Shatter Me is a stunning debut that will have you feeling all kinds of emotions.

Mafi does an excellent job with her fantastic writing style that seems effortless and is beautiful to read. The metaphors which she uses are stunning and made me fall in love with this book more and more as it progressed. The strikethroughs that are present on the cover are also ever present within the book.

The strikethroughs were really symbolic for me and I really appreciate this wonderful book which Mafi wrote. Despite the fact that there is a thread in the story which focuses mainly on Juliette and her powers, there is constantly an underlying theme of not conforming to what society wants you to be. This book can really teach you a valuable lesson. The strikethroughs represented what Juliette thought and these thoughts were often thoughts that the world around her thought about her. the strikethroughs showed that these were not the thought she should have been thinking and show that you should truly believe what you want and don’t be what society wants you to be. Be nothing other than yourself and love yourself because you do not have imperfections, the reason I say this is because if someone loves you, they love every part of you and these supposed “imperfections” are actually beautiful features which make you who you are. Thank you Tahereh for making this message visible through your beautifully written book. This book may be interpreted in whichever way you choose to see it, but that is what I learned from this book.

Juliette is a great main character and I loved reading from her point of view, she added to the feeling of this truly empowering book which absolutely blew my mind and had me wanting more. The world was well thought out and very exciting in the most disastrous way. It was beautiful.

This book surely has something for everyone to take away from it; whether you prefer genres such as: romance, action, fantasy, adventure or paranormal books, you will love this book and will surely learn a valuable lesson.

This book was intoxicating and beautiful filled with rich messages which can only help you in life. This book is definitely one of my favourite books for 2011. I ask you all to read it and let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you Tahereh Mafi for this wondrously thrilling book! 

Tahereh Mafi:

• Website
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{Blog Tour} Thin Air by Lynn Seresin

Welcome to our part of the stop on the Thin Air Blog Tour.  We were asked to participate in a tour for the book by The Magic Attic.  You guys sure are in for a treat today as we have an excerpt from the book!

Excerpt:

“Is everything alright?” I asked, as we settled down on the quilt.

“Couldn’t be better.” Daniel leaned forward and tossed a couple of twigs into the flames. His face was somber in the golden glow. “It’s just that we haven’t discussed the…sleeping arrangements.” He gave me a meaningful look. “I thought you might have some concern about that.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand. We brought sleeping bags, didn’t we?”

Daniel’s laughter surprised and perplexed me. “That’s not what I meant, Alice.”

“What, then? Are you worried the tent might not be large enough? I wouldn’t mind sleeping by the fire, if that’s the case.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” He was staring at me as though he wasn’t sure whether to be amused or annoyed. “I’m not talking about sleeping, Alice. Not literally, anyway.”

“Well, what then?”

I could tell I had strained Daniel’s incredulity to the breaking point. A bemused smile played on his lips as he slowly formed his next words. “I’m talking about sex.”

“Oh, I see.”

I hoped the rosy glow of the fire would hide my blush. I had been so excited about returning to the Adirondacks I hadn’t even considered anything beyond it, especially since Daniel and I had done nothing more than kiss up until then.

He cleared his throat. “It’s just that I don’t want you to fEel pressured,” he began, searching for the right words. “And I’ll understand if you want to keep everything the way it’s been—I mean, just what we’ve been doing, so far. But,” he suddenly looked hopeful, “it’s totally fine if you want to do more. Together. With me, I mean.”

“I’m not sure what you’re saying, Daniel,” I confessed.

He cradled my cheek and smiled. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, being eighteen can mean different things to different people, sexually speaking.” He paused to organize his thoughts. “I want to make love with you, Alice, but I’ll understand if that’s something you don’t feel ready to do right now. The important thing is that you feel safe and comfortable with me.”

Even as an elemental, I had never coupled with a sylph, not for lack of desire, but because I hadn’t met one to whom I wished to give my heart. Daniel already possessed my soul.

Prizes!

Yes you can win prizes! All you have to do is find all the letters which have been placed in certain posts along the way of the tour! Once you have found all the letters see what you can spell and enter here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHJ5WjdlelMwd2hYRUlYYzNyNXhhT0E6MQ

Find more Thin Air:

• GOODREADS

• BARNES AND NOBLE

• AMAZON 

{Waiting on Wednesday} 11: Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night. She’s been warned. Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself. 

 

She’ll be betrayed. 

Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay. 

What are you Waiting on this Wednesday?

Leave a Link and I'll be sure to check it out! 

{Cover Crazy} 7: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Cover Crazy is hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms! Stop by and join in on the fun.

This week I am crazy about the cover for:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. 

I love this over so much! I thought that the cover for Divergent was pretty cool but this cover just blew me away and to me, it definitely beat Divergent's cover! I like how it resembles the cover of the first book and I really cannot wait to see how these books look together, side by side!

{Review} The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Release Date: 21 September 2010

Publisher: Razorbill

Age Group: Young Adult

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 343

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Rating: 5 Books 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world. 

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs. 

My Thoughts:

With the Replacement Brenna quickly became one of my favourite writers and I think that one of the main reasons why this happened was due to the fact that the setting plays such a huge role in the book itself.

I found the eerie town of gentry to be really fascinating and I enjoyed reading about this horrible town and what lurked below it. The setting; Gentry, is a small town with a big secret and this secret is just as gruesome and ugly as the town itself, yet the way Yovanoff wrote about this town made me fall madly in love with it and always had me wanting to try and explore it more somehow as I would want to know about every single little intricate detail about this wonderfully horrible town.

The story line or plot of this book was awesome and I loved the fact that this book was mostly about Fae, yet it was completely different to any other faerie books I have read and what makes this book all the more great is the fact that it is such a dark book.

Now when I say it is a dark book, I do not mean hide this book away because it is so touchy and terrible, it’s not at all. This book is wonderful and I loved it to bits, the reason I say it is dark is because the descriptions about this dark town made this book so lovely and delicious.

When reading this book from Mackie’s point of view I was able to relate to him instantly as he had this constant need to belong and to fit in and it is interesting to see him in both the worlds and I just really found this book to be awesome and loved how different it was!

If you like dark faerie tales and would love to read something new and refreshing then I urge you to pick up this book and read it please. It is wonderful!

{Guest Post} Brenna Yovanoff

Hi, I’m Brenna Yovanoff. I write young adult and speculative fiction.

My YA fantasy The Replacement is now available from Razorbill/Penguin Group. My second novel, The Space Between, will be available November, 2011.Here are some things about me (not book-related): I’m good at soccer, violent video games, and making very flaky pie pastry. I’m bad at dancing, making decisions, and inspiring confidence as an authority figure. I suspect this is because I am short, and also terrible at sounding as though I have any idea what I’m talking about. I was homeschooled until I was fifteen, which has probably affected my world view in ways I can’t fathom. Also, I really, really like parentheses. (Really.) On this site, you’ll find information about my books, answers to questions, and links to things I like. If you want to know more, you can check out my blog, where I frequently talk about zombies, high school, and dessert.

Brenna Talks About Setting

Hi, everyone! Today, Keegan has asked me to stop by and talk a little bit about setting as character, which is something I find really fascinating. I absolutely love the idea that where a story takes place can influence the way it’s told. 

In my writing, setting almost always plays an important role. Even though it spends most of its time sitting in the background, it can have so much influence over the tone and direction of a story.  

My first book, THE REPLACEMENT, is set in a small, dismal town with a lot of folklore and traditions, and a lot of ugly, secret things happening just under the surface.  The town was one of the first things that really came together for me, and once that framework was in place, it shaped what happens over the course of the story, because all the subsequent events are tied directly to the town. 

In THE SPACE BETWEEN, I really wanted to take advantage of what kinds of settings we tend to think of when we think about Hell.  

I thought it would be interesting if the main character, Daphne, were to come from this very clean, structured place, so I gave her a world that’s ornate and glossy and kind of beautiful. Just beyond the edges, there’s a lot of evidence that this is still Hell—filled with noise and fire and pain—but for Daphne, all that is mostly in the periphery. Even though it’s something she sees on a regular basis, it can’t actually touch her.

I did it this way because I wanted Daphne’s home environment to be one that would contrast sharply with what she discovers when she gets to Earth. Her attempts to find her brother are complicated by all the crazy, dangerous things that she’s never had to deal with, because the place she’s grown up in has always been uneventful and very, very safe. 

The manuscript I’m working on now has a much more real-worldly setting than either of my earlier books, but I’m still finding that details of place keep slipping in, contributing to the story just like any other character, and even though it’s completely mundane and factual, it still has these surprising times where it feels almost magical.

Thanks for having me, Keegan!

Thanks for stopping by Brenna!

{Review} Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Release Date: 24 May 2011

Publisher: DOUBLEDAY

Age Group: Young Adult

Format: Paperback

Pages: 416

Author: Tessa Gratton

Rating: 5 Books 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Draw a circle ... place a dead leaf in the center ... sprinkle some salt ... recite a little Latin ... add a drop of blood ...

Maybe that last part isn't exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents' horrific deaths. She's willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.

The book isn't the only recent arrival in Silla's life. There's Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She's not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick's first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can't deny their attraction. And they can't ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power.

Tessa Gratton's intoxicating first novel will keep pulses racing, minds reeling, and pages turning right up to the very last drop of blood.

 My Thoughts:

I had heard great things about this book and I was actually shocked when the book turned out to be way better than I had originally thought it would be. It blew me away, yet had my glued to every word on every single page!

I know for a fact that Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff are friends and to anyone who would like to know; I am in fact in love with Brenna Yovanoff's writing and I am oh so glad to say that Tessa gives Brenna a run for her money. I loved that Brenna showed Tessa how the setting can also be seen as a character and how big a role it actually plays. I love, love, love dark and delicious books(my term for these kinds of books) and I loved every moment of this book due to the setting making it even more creepy.

Silla and Nick were amazingly well thought out characters and I absolutely loved reading from both of their perspectives. You know a book is really great when you enjoy reading from both sides of the story without getting annoyed. I can not explain to you how wonderful these characters were! I will however try- well on the one hand you get a girl; Silla who is a little wacked in the brain(totally awesome) and you can't help but love her and then you get Nick; who is a jerk yet not like any other jerk you have read about because he is not always such a jerk, his thoughts may reflect this but he is just a really fun character to read about.

Blood Magic. That is ultimately what this book revolves around; creating magic with your blood and a few other things, but the thing I loved about this book was the fact that it was not about what species the characters were or what mystical powers they possessed, but rather yet normal people who discover creepy things and are not 'special' or 'gifted'. They simply are NORMAL people.

This book is absolutely amazing and if you have not gathered this yet, then I will say it a little more clearly: I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Tessa; a fantastic debut that had me on the edge of my seat and kept me constantly guessing. Your writing is simply beautiful and even more so addictive and that is why this book is being rated 5 stars. 

{Waiting on Wednesday} 11: Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own.

In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray’s New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart. 

What are you Waiting on this Wednesday?

Leave a Link and I'll be sure to check it out! 

{Cover Crazy} 6: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Cover Crazy is hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms! Stop by and join in on the fun.

This week I am crazy about the cover for:

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

This cover is extremely different to anything I have ever seen before and only makes the book's blurb sound even greater. With this book's cover I really like the smaller details and how it adds to the over all feel for the book. Some of the small details I am referring to are; the white swashes behind the title and  how the girl's hair splits down the middle( which compliments the splitting of the wings)

{Review} Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Release Date: 22 March 2011

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Age Group: Young Adult

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 358

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Rating: 5 Books 

Buy the Book: Amazon

 By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape–before her time runs out?

My Thoughts:

 Wither was everything I expected to be and more, with such a wonderful writing style and captivating voice Lauren DeStefano has effortlessly become one of my favorite authors and I am so excited to read Fever and whatever else DeStefano brings to this world!

Okay, so you see that beautiful cover up there? Well guess what, the story inside is just as beautiful in a kind of sad and horrible way. The writing in this book just seems so effortless and poetic, each and every sentence was just beautiful no matter what subject the sentence may have been based on. This book is about terrible things, but in my mind I wanted to live in this horrible world where people die in the early stages of their lives, simply because Lauren DeStefano made it seem so intriguing and horrible, yet the writing made me want to experience this world first hand. I cannot describe to you how gripping this book is, you just need to read it to understand. If you like poetic, flawless and pretty writing then read this book.

To really prove how wonderful this book is I'm going to tell you two embarrassing things; 1) Every time I said out loud that I was going to read Wither I would say "Okay, I'm going to read 'the pretty' now!" and 2) when i was reading the last hundred or so pages I read as slowly as I possible could just so the magic and feeling of this book did not wear off.

All of these character's struck a chord with me. Rhine was such an amazing character and I love her so much! She seems almost fragile in my mind, yet she is strong willed and sticks to what she believes, she is smart and intriguing. Cecily may have annoyed me at some points in the book, but that was part of her character and I loved her sort of quirkiness. Jenna ripped my heart out due to the fact that she loses the most out of everyone and I really did feel sorry for her and then there's Linden who I actually felt sorry for.

I cannot wait for the next book as I hope to see the relationship grow between Rhine and Gabriel. Speaking of growing, I loved seeing that the characters grew over time in this book, for instance; the sister wives had become almost like real sisters over a period of time. Something else I hope to see in the next book; Fever, I hope we officially get to meet Rowan as I am a twin myself and I so badly want to see more of Rhine and Rowan together!

Lauren, I would just like to let you know that you are now one of my favorite authors and I think I can safely say that I am now one of your biggest fans! Your writing is exquisite and I cannot wait to read more from you.

{In My Mailbox} 9

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at: The Story Siren. You can find official information like how to participate, why it was started and other goodies about IMM on the IMM Page

 In My Mailbox this week:

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford 
Wither by Lauren DeStefano

GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Starcrossed by Josie Angelini

Radiance, Shimmer and Dreamland by Alyson Noel

What did you receive in your mailbox this week?