Waiting on Wednesday: BEA Edition!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

CROOKED KINGDOM

Six of Crows #2

Leigh Bardugo

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases September 27th from Henry Holt

From Goodreads:

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.

Goodreads • Amazon

THREE DARK CROWNS

Kendare Blake

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases September 20th from Harper Teen

From Goodreads:

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose...it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

Goodreads • Amazon

CARAVAL

Stephanie Garber

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases January 2017 from Flatiron Books

From Goodreads:

Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember that it’s all a game . . .

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their ruthless father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the legendary, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

Then, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation to Caraval finally arrives. So, Tella enlists a mysterious sailor’s help to whisk Scarlett away to this year’s show. But as soon as the trio arrives, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nonetheless soon becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with her sister, with Legend, and with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Goodreads • Amazon

Next week is BookExpo America, an event I look forward to each and every year. This year it's moving to Chicago which I'm excited about because the hotel and convention center are connected (WIN!!!!) and I don't have to walk 11 blocks with a rolling suitcase full of books. I know, I know, first world problems and woe is me ;-) But you guys, it's a long walk and I'm lazy. Too lazy to be walking 11 NYC blocks twice a day. *starts sweating just thinking about it*

There are about 10 books I'm hugely excited for this year, but the above three are the ones I'm absolutely desperate to get my hands on. As you can see, I have a YA fantasy-themed BEA wishlist. I can't help it. YA fantasy just makes me happy, and if I manage to get in line early enough to get copies of these, I will simply wander the booths the rest of the day petting them and calling them My Preciousssss.

*puts on BEA game face*

Queen of Hearts Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway!

QUEEN OF HEARTS
Queen of Hearts #1
Colleen Oakes
Young Adult/Fantasy
320 pages
Harper Teen
Available May 3rd
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.

When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinahs furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath.

Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

QUEEN OF HEARTS

Queen of Hearts is a retelling that takes a little time to build, our time with Dinah in the opening chapters staying very much on the surface as she navigates the unexpected arrival of a new half sister and the deterioration of her already poor relationship with her father. The writing too seems very straightforward and simplistic in the beginning, telling us how Dinah feels about all that's happening without truly sucking us into her tale, but before too long this story starts to shift, shadows creeping in from all directions until they swallow us whole and force us far, far below the surface we'd previously been tiptoeing along.

At first glance, Dinah appears to be a young woman with a single layer to her character, that of a girl desperate for approval that's never going to come from an uncaring father, becoming increasingly bitter the more he shuns her in favor of her half sister. With time however, Dinah becomes far more intriguing than that first glance suggests, her volatile relationship with her father escalating to the point that we can't wait for the moment she might unleash her vengeance upon him and all those in her court who have mercilessly mocked her despite her royal status. While her father becomes increasingly cruel, Dinah manages to keep her cool, biding her time and working behind the scenes to uncover the dark secrets of Wonderland, and once she sets forth with this new purpose, her tale becomes impossible to put down.

One of the most interesting aspects of a retelling (for me personally) is seeing in what ways the author stays true to the original story and in what ways he or she deviates, and Queen of Hearts is no different. It's hard not to root for Dinah in this first installment given all the derision she faces from those who should love and respect her, but in the back of our minds we can't help but wonder if Dinah is already becoming the villain of the original and we just can't see it yet since we only have her perspective of various events. Either way though, she's a young woman with whom we desperately want more time once we close the back cover, and the wait for the second installment is sure to be long and painful in the best possible way.

Rating: 4/5

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository

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COLLEEN OAKES

Colleen Oakes is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Elly in Bloom Series, The Queen of Hearts Saga (Harper Collins 2016) and The Wendy Darling Saga. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son and surrounds herself with the most lovely family and friends imaginable. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, traveling and totally immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She currently at work on another YA fantasy series and a stand-alone YA novel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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GIVEAWAY

Three lucky winners will each recieve a finished copy of Queen of Hearts! WOO HOO! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WEEK ONE:

5/2: Supernatural Snark - Review

5/3: No BS Book Reviews - Q&A

5/4: The Irish Banana Review - Review

5/5: A Backwards Story - A Twist in Our Tale

5/6: In Wonderland - Review

WEEK TWO:

5/9: Two Chicks on Books - Guest Post

5/10: Bookish Antics - Review

5/11: Adventures of a Book Junkie - Q&A

5/12: Chapter by Chapter - Review

5/13: Brooke Reports - Top 10

Revenge and the Wild Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway!

I'm super excited today to welcome author Michelle Modesto to the blog as part of the promotional tour for Revenge and the Wild, her debut novel. I loved so much about this book - it was dark, unnerving, romantic, and a little nightmare-inducing and I highly recommend it. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to ask Michelle a few questions about her hugely memorable cast of characters and the cannibals on whom they seek revenge, so I hope you guys enjoy the interview. Be sure and check the bottom of the post as well for a full list of participating blogs and all the details on a fabulous giveaway!

Nigel is a brilliant inventor. If you could ask him to create or build one thing for you, what would top your list?

A hidden soundproofed office so I can write without my kids and dogs being able to find me.
 
Having survived cannibals on the wagon trail once before, it's safe to say Westie is a bit of a badass. Who are a few other YA heroines whose badassery you think she'd most relate to or like to learn from?

I think Westie could learn a thing or two from GRACELING’S Katsa. That girl is fierce. Also Katniss, for obvious reasons—it must be in the name? Also Deryn, from LEVIATHAN—who could outwit and outperform any male and they wouldn’t know the difference.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how well would you estimate you'd fare if you ever found yourself in the middle of a saloon brawl?

As a teen I was scrappy and probably could’ve held my own, so I’d say a 9 or 10. Adult Michelle wouldn’t stand a chance. Definitely a 1.
 
If you ever came face to face with a group of cannibals (*shudders*) what's the first thing you might say in order to convince them to leave you be?

I would let them know that I exist on junk food and would probably taste horrible. I’d let them know grass-fed people would be their best bet.

Though losing her family was a tragedy, what would Westie say she's found with Nigel and Alistair that she likely wouldn't have if they'd lived?

Without Nigel and Alistair, I don’t think Westie would’ve known how loyal friends could be. They stood by her no matter how many really terrible decisions she made—even if they were made with the best of intentions.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Michelle!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

REVENGE AND THE WILD

The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it’s perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Nine years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She’s determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there’s nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie’s search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel’s latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There’s only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie’s kin. With the help of Nigel’s handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she’s not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • iBooks

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MICHELLE MODESTO

Michelle Modesto is a writer, hockey fanatic, lover of most art forms, terrible cook and her social skills aren't that great either. Her debut YA novel, REVENGE AND THE WILD comes out from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, early 2016. She lives in Northern California in a double-wide mobile asylum with two mastiffs who don't listen to her and two teenagers who also don't listen to her.

Michelle Modesto is represented by John Cusick at The Greenhouse Literary Agency.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Pinterest • Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

Ten lucky winners will each receive a finished copy of Revenge and the Wild (yay!)! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway  
WEEK ONE
1/25/2016- IceyBooks- Interview  
1/26/2016- Book Briefs- Review   
1/27/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post  
1/28/2016- Novel Novice- Review  
1/29/2016- Good Choice Reading- Interview

WEEK TWO
2/1/2016- Brooke-Reports- Review

2/2/2016- The Irish Banana Review- Guest Post

2/3/2016- Bookish Lifestyle- Review + Interview

2/4/2016- Supernatural Snark- Interview

2/5/2016- Ex Libris- Review

Review: Reign of Shadows

REIGN OF SHADOWS
Reign of Shadows #1
Sophie Jordan
Young Adult/Fantasy
304 pages
Harper Teen
Available February 9th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

MY THOUGHTS

Reign of Shadows blends action and romance together beautifully, ensuring we're fully invested in the lives and hearts of both Luna and Fowler as we follow them through the darkness of their world.

Luna is a young woman who continually inspires throughout with her ability to handle herself despite being blind, her lifetime of isolation in a remote tower in the woods doing little to stifle her physical strength or quick thinking. Though she's naïve in some areas given her upbringing, she never lets her inexperience or preconceived notions of the world around her slow her down, instead she takes note of the things that aren't as she expected and adapts while never allowing the cruelty she encounters to rob her of her soft heart. She's as capable as cutting down Dwellers as any sighted person, man or woman, and she proves herself an asset to Fowler time and again, earning his grudging respect along the way.

Fowler has seen the brutal nature of this world firsthand, carrying his past with him in the form of emotionally impenetrable armor as he attempts to make his way to a fabled community free of the monstrous Dwellers. The romance between the two of them is gorgeously slow, simple companionship turning into trust and respect as quiet sparks start to fly, and by the end we're as madly in love with the two of them as they are with each other. The drama in their relationship is solely and gloriously external in this first book, the two of them presenting a united front against Dwellers, men, and an order from the king designed to flush Luna out. Even when Luna's true identity comes to light and an equally startling revelation on Fowler's part is made, neither overreacts to the news or attempts to destroy what's been built between them along the way, instead they both digest the information and then stand together once again.

The only mild complaint with this first installment (aside from the abrupt ending and whopper of a cliffhanger) is the lack of backstory into how this world came to be shrouded in darkness. We're given a bare bones history lesson in the beginning, highlighting a few key things to help us get our bearings, but information about the world before the Dwellers and Luna's birth (as they happen simultaneously) is scant, and it's unclear at this stage as to whether the paranormal has always existed or if it took everyone by surprise. Inevitably, those answers will come as Luna makes her way home to claim her royal birthright, and the lack of backstory isn't nearly enough to take away from Luna, Fowler and the romance between them that won't soon be forgotten.

Rating: 4/5

Find Reign of Shadows:

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iBooks • Goodreads

 

Find Sophie:

 

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Instagram

 

And don't forget to check out my interview with Sophie as well as a chance to win copies of her YA books! 

Harper Winter 2016 Tour + Giveaway: Burning Glass

Happy Friday Everyone!

I'm insanely excited today to be a part of the Harper Teen Winter Blog Tour, a tour where each participating blog highlights one book from Harper Teen's Winter 2016 catalog. There are a whopping 40+ books being featured, so be sure and check out the other stops (see full schedule below) to see what bookish awesomeness Harper has in store over the next few months.

My book of win to share with you guys today is Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie, but before I get to the synopsis and all the giveaway goodies, I want to do a quick top 3 list of why I need this book in my life immediately.

JENNY'S TOP 3 REASONS FOR OBSESSING OVER BURNING GLASS

1.  Fantasy + Romance = All I need to know. I've been on a YA fantasy kick for going on 2 years now and I simply can't get enough of the imaginative worlds, the magic, and the often epic romances. Burning Glass promises all three so I'm completely sold.

2. Loner Heroine. Sonya is the only one left with her particular ability, soon finding herself conscripted into the service of the emperor. There's something appealing to me about a young woman who's isolated despite being surrounded by people as such characters often have a tragic strength to them, and I can't wait to see what Sonya's made of.

3. It releases March 1st, which just happens to be my birthday. THIS BOOK AND I WERE MEANT TO BE.

You'd probably like to have a better idea of what Burning Glass is about now that I've rambled on a bit, right? Right.

Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer.

Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins, Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. One mistake, one small failure, will cost her own life and the lives of the few people left in the world who still trust her.

But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, her feelings easily usurped, and she sometimes can’t decipher when other people’s impulses end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself.

As she struggles to wrangle her abilities, Sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the volatile Emperor Valko and his idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which brother to trust—and which to betray.

BURNING GLASS is debut author Kathryn Purdie’s stunning tale of dangerous magic, heart-rending romance, and the hard-won courage it takes to let go.

Find Kathryn + Burning Glass

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

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GIVEAWAYS GALORE!

There is not one but TWO massive giveaways for this tour, so two people are going to be the luckiest book lovers out there.

Giveaway #1: A Harper Teen Winter 2016 Prize Pack of 40+ Books

(includes all the YA titles in the Winter 2016 catalog with the exception of The Siren by Kiera Cass, Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige and Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2: 5 Finished Copies from the Harper Teen Fall 2015 Catalog

(includes The Lies About Truth, Walk on Earth a Stranger, Dreamland, Dumplin' and Da Vinci's Tiger)

How to enter:

Collect the daily word from each blog stop during the Harper Winter 2016 Tour (a total of 45). Once you’ve collected them all, email the complete saying to: HarperTeenTour@gmail.com

Prize Rules:

• Winner must have a valid US mailing address to receive the prize 
• Winner must be over 13 
• Only one (1) entry per person for Prize #2 – duplicates will be deleted.  
• Only a completed phrase will be accepted as an entry – do not email each word/phrase daily. Wait until you have the complete saying and then email in. 
• All email submissions must be received by 11:59 PM EST 11/30/2015.  
• Winners will be selected 12/1/2015 and will have 48 hours to claim their prize before another is selected. 
• Participating blogs and bloggers are not responsible for unsent, damaged, and/or stolen prizes offered by the publisher. 

TODAY'S WORD: Epic

  

A Taste of Untamed City: Carnival of Secrets

Some of you may have heard of a little book called Untamed City: Carnival of Secrets. Some of you may be dying to read it. Like me. I am quite possibly one of the least patient people ever when it comes to waiting for highly anticipated books. I obsess. I stare constantly at the calendar as though the weight of my glare will make the days go faster, and then stress when it turns out it's only been about 2 hours since I last looked at the calendar. I read the synopsis over and over again in the delusional hope that more information will have magically appeared since the last time I checked. That almost never happens. Today is an exception.

It's recently come to my attention that a sneak peek of Untamed City: Carnival of Secrets is now available. A SNEAK PEEK PEOPLE! You can find it HERE. If that wasn't enough, I also have 2 stills from the trailer (which will be released in full on August 14th) to share with you today:

UNTAMED CITY: CARNIVAL OF SECRETS

Trailer Still #1

UNTAMED CITY: CARNIVAL OF SECRETS

Trailer Still #2

Cannot. Wait. As always, more crazy fun things like interviews, trailers, giveaways, and quizzes can be found on HarperTeen's fantastic Epic Reads site. I recently took their Starling Quiz to see which character from the book I was most like. I clicked on the link. I answered the questions as truthfully as possible. And this is the name that came up:

CALUM ARISTARCHOS

I blinked at the name. I thought to myself "self, that sounds an awful lot like a guy's name". Probably because it is. Apparently, I'm most similar to a teenage boy. *self esteem plummets* The silver lining to my gender confusing test results was that Lesley Livingston found the whole thing endlessly amusing when I shared my answer with her on Twitter. She might have even mentioned that Cal would look great in a dress to make me feel better (though that sort of made it worse O.o). Regardless of said results, Cal and I have a date when Starling releases on August 28th, and I've told him (via Lesley) that I'll bring the dresses for us both.

Hope you all have time to take a quiz or two at Epic Reads and don't forget to grab your Carnival of Secrets Sneak Peek!