Waiting on Wednesday: A Shadow Bright and Burning

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!

A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING

Kingdom on Fire #1

Jessica Cluess

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases September 20th from Random House BFYR

From Goodreads:

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames.
 
Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she's shocked when instead of being executed, she's invited to train as one of Her Majesty's royal sorcerers.

Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the chosen one, the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorizing humanity. She also meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, handsome young men eager to test her power and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her.

But Henrietta Howel is not the chosen one.
 
As she plays a dangerous game of deception, she discovers that the sorcerers have their own secrets to protect. With battle looming, what does it mean to not be the one? And how much will she risk to save the city—and the one she loves?

Exhilarating and gripping, Jessica Cluess's spellbinding fantasy introduces a powerful, unforgettable heroine, and a world filled with magic, romance, and betrayal.

Ever since my Buffy fandom days I've been a huge fan of any type of story about a heroine of myth and prophecy, destined to be a badass among badasses, so when I saw the words "chosen one" in the synopsis I started nodding right along, fully prepared to relive the Buffy glory days. Fast forward to a few short sentences later, and I find Ms. Henrietta is in fact NOT the chosen one, and I think that might make me love her even more.

As much as I love a "chosen" heroine, a young women who's full of strength, intelligence, and loyalty all on her own without the aid of prophecy to make her great is even more appealing to me, and I can't wait to discover what Henrietta is made of!

Goodreads • Amazon

Review: The Stars Never Rise

THE STARS NEVER RISE
The Stars Never Rise #1
Rachel Vincent
Paranormal Young Adult
368 pages
Delacorte Press
Available Now
Source: ALA Midwinter

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

MY THOUGHTS
The Stars Never Rise paints a horrifying picture of a world we can only hope never finds its way from the pages of fiction into reality, with demons and demon possession driving humanity’s every thought and action. While the paranormal elements are terrifying, we do have the safety net of reality to fall back on, taking comfort in the fact that we can escape this world easily enough if we need a quick break. The far more disturbing element–and one we can’t escape–is the fanatacism that accompanies the teachings of this world’s Church, humanity’s willingness to blindly believe what their told resulting in innocent lives being snuffed out with the strike of a match.

Nina is a voice of reason we easily latch onto amidst the ordered chaos of a literal hell on Earth, forcing herself to play by the rules despite the fact that she doesn’t entirely buy into the Church’s propaganda. Because she’s not one hundred percent dedicated to them from the beginning, there are no blinders to rip from her eyes once her home life takes a turn for the worse, only knowledge which she readily accepts without putting up a token struggle. She doesn’t waste time denying the many revelations she’s faced with, and instead picks up her new cause with impressive gusto and does her best to fight for her sister and anyone else she can save along the way.

A romance does come into play amidst the horror of an impending demon invasion, and while we can’t help but be grateful there’s only one romantic interest instead of two, the relationship between Nina and Finn stays at surface level throughout. There are a number of sweet moments, but the emotional connection we have to the two of them as a couple isn’t as strong as the overwhelming urge to see them and their group of exorcist misfits survive against nearly impossible odds. Perhaps their relationship will grow stronger in future books and our investment in them as a couple along with it, but the story itself is strong enough–and the world nightmare-inducing enough–that it’s easy to move past that minor drawback and look forward to what is to come as the series continues.

Rating: 3.5-4/5 (I couldn't quite pin my thoughts down enough to come up with a single rating, so a range it is ;-)

Find Rachel:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon 

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Interview: Melissa Grey + The Girl at Midnight

I have the distinct pleasure today of welcoming author Melissa Grey to the blog to answer a few questions about her newest YA fantasy release, The Girl at Midnight. I absolutely LOVED this book, I've been on a fantasy binge for about a year now and this one was everything I could have hoped for (mini review below the interview!). If you guys haven't devoured it yet, I highly recommend it. *attempts to wait patiently for book 2*

To introduce Echo, Caius, Ivy, Dorian and Jasper to those who have not yet had the chance to meet them, please assign each of them a high school-style superlative (best hair, most likely to succeed, etc.).

Echo: Most Likely to Steal the Declaration of Independence

Ivy: Most Likely to Try to Talk Echo Out of Stealing the Declaration of Independence

Caius: Most Likely to Succeed in Winning a Throne But Maybe Not the Best at Keeping It

Dorian: Most Likely to Fall for Someone He Really Shouldn’t

Jasper: Best Hair, Best Eyes, Best Everything

In many ways the colors of an Avicen’s feathers matches their individual personality traits (I’m looking at you Jasper!). If you were Avicen, what color would your plumage be?

Easy. Purple! Like my current hair color.

While we don’t get to see too much of her in this first book, what we do get to see of Tanith has us gritting our teeth and curling our fingers into fists. What would you say are three characteristics that always make for a good villain?

Conviction, cunning, and ferocity. Battling someone who is convinced they’re in the right even when they’re obviously not is pretty daunting.

We get to spend time with a few different characters in The Girl at Midnight. What’s one book written from a single point of view that you wish allowed you into the head of one or more secondary characters?

The Archived and The Unbound by Victoria Schwab. There are so many mysteries in those books that I just want to role around in the PoVs forever. She wrote a story from the point of view of Wesley Ayers (also known as my current book boyfriend) and I’m still haunted by it. I need more. Do you hear that, Victoria? I need more.

Echo and company follow a trail of rhyming clues as they track down the elusive firebird. Looking forward to the next book, could you give us a short rhyme with a hint or two of what awaits?

Magic, and mayhem, and murder, oh my!
Can people stop fighting so Echo can have pie?
Wherever there is darkness, there must also be light,
But will it be bright enough to beat back the blight?

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

• • • • • • • • • • • 

THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

MINI REVIEW

The Girl at Midnight is the perfect blend of fantastical adventure and forbidden romance, complete with a stunning cast of secondary characters who all shine in their various shades of gray. We get to spend time with a group of five young men and women, each with layers to their personality we can't wait to peel back and examine more closely as we're carried along with them in their attempt to locate the mythical firebird. The relationships of every individual to each of the others are fraught with tension for a wide array of reasons, and where a larger cast sometimes opens the door for us to pick favorites, each member of the firebird search party earns themselves a special place in our hearts.

Echo and Caius are the two with whom we spend majority of our time, both out of place in their respective worlds and looking for a way to close the gap between the long-feuding Avicen and Drakharin. Theirs is a romance that takes chapter upon chapter to build, two opposing sides uniting in a shared purpose who eventually find their minds and hearts filled with more than just a desire for peace. While things are likely to get more complicated rather than less as their story continues, they're a couple easy to root for in this first installment.

The only minor complaint is with a slightly jumbled ending, the chaos of the final battle cut off quickly in the heat of the moment before we suddenly find ourselves on the final page. Overall though, The Girl at Midnight has humor and romance (on a number of fronts) as well as epic magic and a long-standing war between two mythical species, ensuring we turn the pages with all haste to see what becomes of characters we've quickly grown to love.

Rating: 4/5

Find Melissa & The Girl at Midnight:

Website • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

Blog Tour: The Fearless

Today I'm thrilled to welcome author Emma Pass to the blog as part of the promotional tour for her newest release, The Fearless. Emma has created a horrifyingly fascinating world in this YA dystopian tale, one where a serum turns men into monsters and makes each day a battle to stay alive. As a way to introduce you to her world, I asked Emma to put together a syllabus for a class protagonist Cass might teach on how to survive against the Fearless. I hope you guys add this one to your lists, and don't forget to check the bottom of the post for the full list of participating blogs!

Hope Island Survival 101 

HOPE ISLAND
EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Survival Skills and Defence Against the Fearless – an Introduction

Class location:
School building at the back of the Exchange 

Class Meeting time:
9am – 12pm every Monday and Wednesday except for the last session which will take all day.

Instructor:
Cassandra Hollencroft

I. Rationale: 
The Fearless are a ruthless and dangerous enemy. In order to survive in the world as it is today, you will need to learn how to survive and defend yourself. This class will teach you basic survival skills such as how to find food and shelter, and basic first aid. It will also teach you about the Fearless, how to avoid them, and how to defend yourself in the event of a confrontation.

II. Course Aims and Outcomes: 
Aims
A better understanding of the threat posed by the Fearless.
A better understanding of basic survival skills.

Specific Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students will:
Be able to defend themselves against attacks from the Fearless.
Be able to construct a basic shelter.
Be able to forage and hunt for food.
Have a basic understanding of weapons such as knives and guns.

III. Format:
These classes will consist of a combination of theory and practical exercises. Please make sure you wear sturdy clothing and footwear. All materials will be provided.

Class Schedule (May change to accommodate student needs):
                

April 13
A history of the Fearless and the Invasion

• Students to discuss key points that led to the worldwide collapse of society.

April 15
What is a Fearless?
How to recognise them.

• Students to memorise 5 features of the Fearless.
• Students to discuss the specific problems when confronting the Fearless.

April 20
Weapons theory

• Types of guns, knives and other weapons and how they are used. 

April 22
Weapons Practise and self defence (I)

• Practical training exercises.

April 27
Weapons practise and self defence (II)

• Practical training exercises.

April 29
Shelter

• How to make and maintain a simple shelter.

May 4
Food

• Foraging and hunting for food. How to recognise poisonous plants.

May 6
First Aid

• What to do if someone is ill or injured. The practical use of medicinal plants.

May 11
Clothing and footwear

• How to make and maintain basic clothing and footwear.

May 13
Assessment

• Assessment of skills learned (9am – 4pm)

• • • • • • • • • • • •

THE FEARLESS

For fans of The Hunger Games, Matched, Divergent, and The Fifth Wave, this fast-paced futuristic thriller tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cass and her fight to protect her younger brother from an unimaginably terrifying enemy.

The Deadliest Enemy feels no fear.

When the Fearless invaded, they injected everyone in their path with the same serum that stripped them of humanity.

Life became a waking nightmare.

Cass has the invasion seared in her memory. Seven years later, she and her brother, Jori, are living on Hope Island in a community of survivors. No one can enter, and no one can leave.

It's the only way to stay safe.

But when Hope Island's security is breeched and Jori is taken by the Fearless, Cass will risk everything to get him back.

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • 

EMMA PASS 

Emma Pass grew up at an environmental studies centre near London, went to art school in Cornwall and now lives in the north-east Midlands, UK. Her YA dystopian thriller ACID is out from Random House Children's Books on 25th April 2013 (UK), Mondadori on 13th June 2013 (Spain) and Delacorte on 1st April 2014 (US). Another standalone thriller, The Fearless, will follow in the UK in 2014.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • •

BLOG TOUR

Be sure and follow along for more interviews, reviews and special content!

4/20 - Addicted Readers – Interview

4/21 - My Book Muse – Review and Signed Giveaway

4/22 - Xpresso Reads – Playlist Post

4/23 - A Dream Within A Dream – Review and Signed Giveaway

4/24 - Chapter by Chapter – Review and Top Favs Interview

4/27 - Pandora’s Books – Interview

4/28 - The Irish Banana – Guest Post

4/29 - SciFi Chick.com – Guest Post

4/30 - Dark Faerie Tales – Review and Dream Character Casting

5/1 - Mundie Moms - Guest Post

5/4 - Supernatural Snark – Guest Post

5/5 – Ex Libris – Guest Post

5/6 – Step Into Fiction – Review and Signed Giveaway

5/7 – IceyBooks – Quote Candy

5/8 - A Life Bound By Books – Interview

Review + Giveaway: Shadow Scale

SHADOW SCALE
Seraphina #2
Rachel Hartman
Young Adult/Fantasy
608 pages
Random House
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways.

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

MY THOUGHTS
In this much-anticipated follow up to 2012’s Seraphina, Ms. Hartman flexes her extraordinary world-building muscles once again, surrounding us with rich foreign lands and enveloping us in the warmth of beautifully nuanced characters. We’re given considerable time to admire the skill of every stitch making up the tapestry of this dragon-filled world given this book's 600 page length, and though we sit in awe at the attention to detail, it does make for a slow read at times. The first half in particular is a touch tedious as Seraphina sets out to track down her fellow half-dragons, the hundreds of pages detailing her search and interactions with those she finds making us wonder if perhaps this section of the story could have been streamlined in a few places.

Though the sheer vastness of this world is responsible for much of the slower pacing in the first half, Seraphina herself also keeps us from settling in fully, the tension that came with her having to hide who she is now gone as she lives in the open, but it takes her until nearly the end to actually embrace the totality of who she is. She shows very few signs along the way of making progress toward dismantling the walls in her mind she set up so long ago (to be fair, it takes a while before she fully understands this is a necessary course of action), instead relatively content to leave things as they are even when she realizes she’s missing the mind-fire that’s so much a part of the other half-dragons.

Despite her seeming lack of growth and progress until the very end however, Seraphina is still someone with whom it’s easy to spend time, her various relationships with the half-dragons she locates fun to watch unfold given how distinct and unique each one is. Her friendship with Abdo is the main highlight however, their banter something we can cling to and use as an anchor as we’re swept from one city to the next.

The villain of this story is another highlight, Jannoula spectacularly infuriating in the subtlety of her villainy, able to appear vulnerable and utterly guileless one minute before showing her true colors the next. She’s the type of bad that masquerades as good, using the faith of those she seeks to rule as a stepping stone onto the pedestal she’s convinced herself she deserves, claiming divinity and then proving to be exceptionally convincing in that claim. Once Jannoula’s endgame becomes known in the second half, the pages start turning with far more speed than they did in the beginning, and while things wrap up a touch faster than we might expect given the length of the build up, our time with Seraphina ends with nothing but hope for her future and that of those closest to her.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Rachel:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the amazingly generous team at Penguin Random House, I have one copy of Shadow Scale to give away on the blog today! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Firefight: Excerpt + Giveaway

Today I have the pleasure of offering up an epic giveaway to help celebrate Firefight, book two in The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. While I haven't read Steelheart yet (I have it waiting for me!), I've heard from innumerable people how amazing this series is, so it's flown to the very top of my list and I can't wait to dive in. Before we get to the giveaway though, you have a chance to read a very lengthy excerpt (if it wasn't 23 pages I would have posted it here ;-)) which will undoubtedly only make you crave more. First, a little about Firefight:

Brandon Sanderson is back with a vengeance in FIREFIGHT, the follow up to the #1 New York Times bestselling Steelheart. In the book that Kirkus Reviews is calling a “rare middle volume that keeps the throttle open,” Sanderson takes readers on another a thrill ride and “presents a Marvel Comics-style mix of violently destructive battles, fabulous feats and ongoing inner wrestling over morality and identity.”

David Charleston still can’t believe it. Steelheart is dead, and he died by David’s own hand. Even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic, but the invincible has fallen and now Newcago is free. Despite attaining revenge for the murder of his father and living his dream as a team member of the most elite Reckoners cell, David finds he has more questions than ever before, and he won’t find the answers in his home city.

Babylon Restored, the city formerly known as Manhattan, could hold the key. Ruled by the mysterious and ambivalent High Epic Regalia, Babylon Restored is a place flooded with water and painted in neon, where the inhabitants spend most of their days lounging and nights partying. David can’t seem to understand the complacency of the city and its residents, but what he does understand is that being positioned here, risky as it may be, could lead him to the answers he so desperately seeks. Because there is an emptiness in him, one left behind after killing Steelheart, that was filled unexpectedly by Firefight, who is just plain Megan to him. And David will stop at nothing to find a way to understand Epics and bring her back to him. Hopefully for good this time.

The second book in the Reckoners series and follow up to the highly acclaimed Steelheart, which Publishers Weekly called “an absolute page-turner,” FIREFIGHT is filled with spine-tingling adventure and heart-racing action that promises to satisfy fans both new and old.

FIREFIGHT EXCERPT

Find Firefight:

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • •

STEELHEART

(The Reckoners Book One)

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Find Steelheart: 

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads 

• • • • • • • • • • • •

BRANDON SANDERSON

 Credit: Isaac Stewart

BRANDON SANDERSON is the author of the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy. In 2007, he was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series following the author’s death.  The concluding book in that series, A Memory of Light, was released on January 8, 2013, and debuted at #1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction List., just as his two previous Wheel of Time books had done.  His work has been published in over 25 languages and his books have sold millions of copies worldwide. He lives and writes in Utah.

Website • Twitter

• • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY: EPIC READS PRIZE PACK

Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Random House, I have copies of both Steelheart AND Firefight to give away on the blog today. One lucky winner will be able to start this series from the beginning. Woot! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

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Waiting on Wednesday: Damage Done

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!

DAMAGE DONE

Amanda Panitch

Young Adult/Mystery

Releases July 21st from Random House BFYR

From Goodreads:

22 minutes separate Julia Vann’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.

Now that she’s Lucy Black, she's able to begin again. She's even getting used to the empty bedroom where her brother should be. And her fresh start has attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy's forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left behind.

One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning. . . .

This year has been the year of the mystery/thriller for me. I typically lean more toward the supernatural (obviously) and away from anything contemporary, but a good mystery, like fantasy, has quickly become one of my very favorite go-to reads. The synopsis for Damage Done more than piques my curiosity, and I simply must know what happened in those 22 minutes to completely alter the course of Julia's life. Also, I'm a sucker for the "hottest boy in school" type. Or the bad boy type. Or the sweet geeky type. So really, anything other than the douchebag type works pretty well for me ;-)

Amazon • Goodreads

Interview: Roxanne St. Claire + They All Fall Down

I'm thrilled today to welcome author Roxanne St. Claire to the blog as part of the promotional tour for her newest release, They All Fall Down. Roxanne was nice enough to answer a few questions for me about high school, murder mysteries and her teenage self, so I hope you all enjoy the interview!

To help us get to know Kenzie and her newfound friends a little bit better, could you assign each of them a typical high school yearbook superlative (best dressed, most likely to succeed, etc.)?

Kenzie Summerall – Most Changed
Molly Russell – Biggest Band Geek
Josh Collier – Sexiest Smile
Levi Sterling – Most Wanted by Administration

Confession: I live for lists. I love them and can’t get through my day without making one. Instead of a list like the one circulating at Kenzie’s high school, please give us a list of your top 5 favorite high school-centric movies.

Mean Girls
A Cinderella Story
The Breakfast Club
Clueless
Perks of Being a Wallflower

If Kenzie could invite a character from any piece of fiction (aside from Sherlock Holmes) to help her uncover the secrets behind the list and the death of her classmates, who would she most want to work with?

Why not Sherlock!?! He’d be perfect. Okay, then I’d have her pick someone from either the Guardian Angelinos or the Bullet Catchers, two incredibly talented teams of protection and security specialists…all invented by me!

If Kenzie had the chance to sit down and interview you, what do you think the first question out of her mouth would be?

“Why did I have to wait so long to find out the truth about my brother?”

I love a mystery that can keep me guessing. What book had the biggest/most surprising twist you’ve ever encountered?

I admit that I didn’t see the sad ending of Fault in our Stars coming. I read the book very early, before the big buzz, and when Augustus flinches in pain in Amsterdam for the first time, I gasped loudly in shock. No! He wouldn’t do that! He wouldn’t…he did. Sigh. Also, there’s a death at the end of Mockingjay that stunned (and infuriated) me. 

If, like Kenzie, the teenage version of you suddenly found herself the center of the popular crowd’s attention, what would her reaction have been?

I’d like to think I’d be more like Kenzie than Molly. Kenzie was not overwhelmed by it all, because she never really sought seek the attention and didn’t place any value on it. Her best friend, Molly, on the other hand was seduced – so it was a good thing that Molly wasn’t on the list. That was a big reason Kenzie didn’t get sucked into the power of the list, and was able to stand back and see what was happening objectively. 

What’s one thing your high school self never would have guessed about the direction your career as an adult has taken?

My high school self went 3,000 miles away from home (from Pittsburgh to UCLA) with the intention of being a high-powered attorney. But after one semester of college, I knew I wasn’t cut out for law school. I think my high school self would be surprised that those little “stories” I wrote for fun and to amuse my friends ended up as the way I make my living.

Thanks so much for these awesome questions. I’m happy to pop in today and answer more!

My pleasure Roxanne, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!

• • • • • • • • • • • •

THEY ALL FALL DOWN

Every year, the lives of ten girls at Vienna High are transformed.

All because of the list.

Kenzie Summerall can't imagine how she's been voted onto a list of the hottest girls in school, but when she lands at number five, her average life becomes dazzling. Doors open to the best parties, new friends surround her, the cutest jock in school is after her.

This is the power of the list. If you're on it, your life changes.

If you're on it this year? Your life ends.

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • •

ROXANNE ST. CLAIRE

Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels of suspense and romance, including three popular series (The Bullet Catchers, The Guardian Angelinos, and Barefoot Bay) and multiple stand alone books.

In addition to being a six-time nominee and one-time winner of the RITA Award, Roxanne’s novels have won the National Reader’s Choice Award for best romantic suspense three times, as well as the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, the Maggie, Booksellers Best, Book Buyers Best, the Award of Excellence, and many others. Her books have been translated into dozens of languages and are routinely included as a Doubleday/Rhapsody Book Club Selection of the Month.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

And don't forget to check out the rest of the participating blogs!

10/14     Icey Books                                         

10/15     Bumbles & Fairytales                     

10/16     Across the Words                           

10/17     Bookish                                               

10/18     A Dream Within a Dream

10/19     Good Books & Good Wine          

10/20     Jean Book Nerd                           

10/21     Pandora’s Books                             

10/22     Anatea’s Bookshelf                        

10/23     Supernatural Snark                        

10/24     The Children’s Book Review       

10/25     Unofficial Addiction Book Club  

10/26     Live to Read

10/27     Winter Haven Books / Rather Be Reading YA      

10/28     Peace Love Books                           

10/29     Christy’s Book Addiction              

10/30     Stories & Sweeties

10/31     Wondrous Reads            

Review: Lark Rising

LARK RISING
Guardians of Tarnec #1
Sandra Waugh
Young Adult/Fantasy
384 pages
Random House Books for Young Readers
Available September 23rd
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Lark has foreseen two things—she will fall for a young man with sage green eyes,and he will kill her.

Sixteen-year-old Lark Carew is happiest close to home, tending her garden and gathering herbs for medicines. But when her Sight warns her that monsters called Troths will soon invade her village, Lark is summoned on a journey to seek help from the legendary Riders of Tarnec. Little does she suspect that one of the Riders, Gharain, is the very man who has haunted her visions. Or that the people of Tarnec have called her there for another reason: Lark is the Guardian of Life, the first of four Guardians who must awaken their powers to recover four stolen amulets. Together, the amulets—Life, Death, Dark, and Light—keep the world in Balance. To take back the Life amulet, Lark will have to discover her true inner strength and give in to a love that she swears will be her downfall.

MY THOUGHTS
Lark Rising contains all the desired elements for an epic fantasy story, Lark uncovering a previously unknown magical responsibility and embarking on a journey that will restore balance to her increasingly chaotic world, but though magic, friendship, romance and more are present, we still find ourselves flipping chapter after chapter without the enthusiasm we hoped for upon cracking the spine. There's nothing definitively wrong with Lark's tale, no specific flaws or drawbacks we can easily identify as causing our lack of excitement, instead it's simply one of those stories that seems to be missing an indescribable spark that would have otherwise seen us up way past our bedtimes reading had it been present.

Lark is the type of young woman who would typically draw us in, her quieter nature and complete inability to wield a weapon with any level of skill characteristics that should allow us to easily see ourselves in her shoes, our own general lack of badassery thereby creating an instant kinship. With characters like Lark, what is lacking in physical strength is usually made up in a strength of will and determination of spirit, but what we find instead is a woman quick to believe in her own inadequacies who interprets the comments and actions of others through a distorted filter of self-recrimination. Whenever something dark befalls those around her, in her eyes the fault and blame lie entirely at her feet, forcing her to then make rash decisions involving noble and selfless sacrifice in order to remedy the situation.

It's of course extremely hard to criticize a willingness to throw oneself on one's sword in order to save the lives of others, but Lark's self-sacrifice seems to come not only from the desire to spare those around her, but also from the aforementioned absence of any feelings of self-worth. She's not as physically strong as some, not as fierce as others, so she therefore should go it alone or lead the danger away so that they might thrive. Though the final chapters see a shift in that attitude to some degree, it comes a touch too late and isn't quite dramatic enough for us to really fall in love with Lark, making her a heroine we enjoy well enough but who doesn't necessarily exude the strength–physical, emotional or mental–to inspire us to want to stand beside her and fight the good fight.

Overall, Lark Rising is a fantasy that has a solid premise, a well-developed world, and nicely sets up the series as a whole while giving us a complete story in this first installment, it just lacks a touch of the emotional connection between character and reader that would catapult it out of the realm of “nice” and into that of “fantastic”.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Sandra:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday: Suspicion

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!

SUSPICION

Alexandra Monir

Paranormal Young Adult

Available December 9th from Delacorte Press

From Goodreads:

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself–and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.

Well hello there, pretty cover! I won't lie, more often than not a gorgeous cover is enough to completely sell me on a book, no reading of the synopsis required. When I do eventually make it to the blurb (after the book has been on my TBR list for a while), it's always exciting to find a premise that feels as promising as the artwork is stunning. I have a thing for stories set in other countries, so color me excited for this eerie English estate with a purple hedge maze (I have no idea if the maze in the book is actually purple or if a little creative license was taken with the cover, but in my head while reading the maze will always be awesomely purple). Plus, anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love romance, so a secret longtime childhood love is basically icing on the cake. *makes grabby hands*

Interview and Giveaway: Elsie Chapman + Divided

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Elsie Chapman to the blog to answer a few questions about Divided, the sequel to last year's young adult dystopian novel Dualed. The team at Random House has also generously offered up a giveaway to accompany today's interview, so be sure and check the bottom of the post for those details. Thanks so much for stopping by Elsie!

If West was going to train others as assassins as she herself has trained, what would be the first and most important lesson she would teach them?

To distance themselves from their kills and think of them solely as targets and not people. Emotional baggage would make being an assassin that much more difficult.

The Board is keeping secrets from West; secrets she obviously wants to uncover. What’s one book that, in your opinion, has an absolutely spectacular twist or secret reveal?

I just read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. That one definitely caught me by surprise. I had to flip back after I was done and see how I missed it.

If those who know you best found themselves looking at both you and your Alt, what’s one quirk or habit you have that might tip them off as to which was the “real” you?

Maybe the fact that I pretty much live with headphones on. Or earbuds. Silence is hard for me. It makes me antsy.

Let’s say you find yourself in West’s world training to eventually kill your Alt. What aspect of training (endurance, hand to hand combat, weapons, etc) do you think you would excel at? Struggle with?

Oh, I’d excel at none and struggle with all. I’m definitely lacking in the physical coordination department. Though if I could pick a skill I'd like to excel at, it’d probably be something long-range, like being a sniper. The farther away from my Alt the better.

What’s one aspect of West’s character or personality that you wish you yourself possessed?

I like how she’s a bit hotheaded. Sure, she doesn't always think things through (and considering she’s fifteen, I’m letting her roll with it), but there’s something to be said about just diving in sometimes.

There are a number of young adult fictional worlds that would be absolutely terrifying to live in and will hopefully never come to pass. What’s one YA world you would be happy to spend time in if right this minute a portal opened up to take you there?

I (also) just finished reading Gayle Forman’s Where She Went, and I love how she filled Mia and Adam’s world with music. I’d love to attend a Shooting Star rock concert and see Adam rock out.

Is there something the process of writing a sequel has taught you about yourself as an author that writing the first book in a series didn’t?

I wrote Dualed as a standalone, so when it came to coming up with a plot for Divided, I really had no clue where to start. So I’m really happy that I was able to reach into Dualed and flesh out a whole other book from aspects of one I considered done.

• • • • • • • • • • 

DIVIDED

The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .

West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.

The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.

How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

• • • • • • • • • • •

ELSIE CHAPMAN

Photo Credit: Michael Meskin

I grew up in Prince George, BC, before graduating from the University of British Columbia with a BA in English Literature. I currently live in Tokyo, Japan with my husband and two kids, where I write to either movies on a loop or music turned up way too loud (and sometimes both at the same time).

I’m repped by The Chudney Agency. My debut novel, DUALED and its sequel, DIVIDED are both available now. Published by Random House Children’s Books.

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the awesome folks at Random House, I have one copy of Divided to give away on the blog today! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

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Interview and Giveaway: Lanie Bross + Fates

It's been an interview kind of week on the blog, so in keeping with that trend I'm pleased today to welcome young adult author Lanie Bross to Supernatural Snark to answer a few questions about her debut novel, Fates. I'm huge fan of books that involve the concept of physical beings who know of and guide the fates of those around them to ensure things happen as they're "meant" to; the whole idea of it just raises such interesting questions and I'm nothing if not someone who likes to ask questions while reading, so I'm very excited for this book. I hope you all enjoy the interview!

Even though Corinthe’s time in the human world began as a punishment, what’s one thing about it she would miss if she made it back to Pyralis Terra? What’s one thing about Pyralis Terra she thinks those of us in this world might find fascinating?

I think Corinthe would miss the clothing. In Humana, she has discovered her love of color and it manifests in the clothes she wears. In Pyralis, everyone wears the same flowing dress, the same color, and everything is bathed in a muted purplish glow, its all very serene, but honestly, boring. Especially to someone who has experienced the vividness of another world.

Hmmm, maybe the most fascinating thing about Pyralis is how it is always twilight. There are no nights or days, just a constant dusk that gives the entire world a sort of hushed reverence to it.

If you were to meet someone like Corinthe who knew what fate had in store for you, how tempted would you be to ask them about your future?

Not tempted at all! I really don’t want to know! Every day in an adventure and I love not knowing what will happen next.

You suddenly find yourself in Corinthe’s shoes, forced to help the fates of many unfold as they should. What aspect of the job would you struggle with most?

It would be really hard to hurt people in order to push them toward their destiny. It’s not all gentle nudges for Executors. They are altering a life, and sometimes it takes something drastic.

Pyralis Terra is Corinthe’s ideal world and a place she wants nothing more to return to. If you could create a world suited specifically to you where you could escape on occasion, what would it look like/consist of?

It would be an infinite library. Hundreds of levels with cozy reading chairs tucked into alcoves everywhere. And a coffeemaker on every floor!

Corinthe finds herself caught up in a doomed romance with Lucas given it’s written that one of them will live and one will die. If she wanted to feel not quite so alone in her star-crossed romance, what other couple’s story might she pick up and read?

Well, she could read Romeo and Juliet but that might just depress her even more! Unfortunately, most star crossed lovers are doomed to tragic endings. 

If Lucas and Corinthe were to sit down and interview you as part of the promotion for Fates, what’s one question you fear they would ask?

Oh wow. Probably I’d be worried they would want to know why I put them through so much crap. I’m not sure that answering, “Because it made a good storyline” would be a good enough answer!

Let’s say you’re in charge of writing a prophecy regarding the events of book two as a teaser for readers. What are three words we might see in that prophecy?

So. Much. Chaos. ;P

• • • • • • • • • • •

FATES

(available now from Delacorte Press)

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 is 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?

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • •

LANIE BROSS

LANIE BROSS was born in a small town in Maine, where she spent the next 18 years dreaming of bigger places. After exploring city life, she and her husband and two young sons ended up coming right back to the wilds of Maine, where they live just one house down from where she grew up. Fate, perhaps? She loves chasing around her rambunctious kids, playing tug-of-war with her 95-pound Lab, and writing for young adults. FATES is her first novel.

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the fabulous people at Random House, I have one copy of Fates to give away on the blog today! To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Canada only.

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