The Skylighter Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway!

Today I'm thrilled to welcome author Becky Wallace back to the blog as part of the promotional tour for The Skylighter, the follow up to last year's The Storyspinner. The Storyspinner was one of my favorite reads of 2015, and I can't recommend it highly enough if you haven't had a chance to read it yet. 

I had the opportunity to suggest a topic for Becky to address, and I thought it would be fun given how politically-focused our country is at the moment to ask Becky about the power game and politics of Johanna's fantasy world. I hope you guys enjoy!

If you were long lost royalty as Johanna is and suddenly found yourself in the middle of a power play for the throne, what are the top 5 concerns you would have about claiming your birthright?

If I was actually in Johanna’s position, I’d totally run and hide. Maybe take a little cash with me so that it could be a comfortable hiding place instead of a shack in a forgotten swamp. I’m still a princess at heart, yo.

If I was able to muscle past my flight instinct, here are the things I’d worry about:

WHO WANTS TO KILL ME?

Let’s be honest, y’all. Poisoned food, sneak attacks, assassins, and literal backstabbers are a real concern for folks who want to claim their rightful thrones. Unless you plan to surround yourself with heavily-muscled guards bristling with weapons—which might not be that bad—or sequester yourself to windowless rooms, then claiming a throne isn’t exactly the safest life goal. But if you feel, like, morally obligated to improve the lives of thousands of people, then go for it. Good for you, I guess.

Who can I really trust? Like really? 

See, here’s the problem with people: just about anybody can be bought for the right price. Sometimes that price is a bag full of gold and sparkly jewels, sometimes it’s the promise of power in a new government, and sometimes (gasp!) people make really crappy decisions because they’re really crappy people. The problem for soon-to-be rulers is knowing who those people are and surrounding yourself with the other kind—the stalwart, chivalrous, good kind. And sadly, the good ones are hard to find. Heh.
   

I have no idea how to run a kingdom. Why am I trying to run a kingdom? Whose idea was it that I should run a kingdom? Can we kill that person? DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN.

How many days off do I get?

Can you hear Queen’s Under Pressure in your head? Cause that’s what I hear when someone says the words “take over a kingdom.” All that responsibility…it causes wrinkles, ulcers, and maybe bad posture. You know, with the weight of the world on your shoulders and all that. Now, if you’re promised a month of vacation on a lush, private island then maybe it would be worth it.

Who am I betrothed to?

I mean…if It’s for good of my people, who I’m suddenly very concerned about, then sure. I’ll marry Prince Harry.

I probably wouldn’t turn down Prince Carl Phillip of Sweden, either.

But if it was Prince…I’d want my advisors to see if there were better political ties to be made elsewhere. 

Also, he totally looks like a villain.

Thanks so much Becky! I would absolutely take Prince Carl Phillip of Sweden as well. Hello, there.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

THE SKYLIGHTER

Johanna and Rafi are in a race against time to save their country before a power-mad Keeper destroys everything they hold dear in the “enthralling magical world” (Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Heir Chronicles) introduced in The Storyspinner.
 

As the last of the royal line, Johanna is the only person who can heal a magical breach in the wall that separates her kingdom of Santarem from the land of the Keepers, legendary men and women who wield elemental magic. The barrier protects Santarem from those Keepers who might try to take power over mere humans…Keepers who are determined to stop Johanna and seize the wall’s power for themselves.
 

And they’re not the only ones. As the duchys of Santarem descend into war over the throne, Johanna relies more than ever on the advice of her handsome companion, Lord Rafael DeSilva. But Rafi is a duke too, and his people come first. As their friendship progresses into the beginnings of a tender relationship, Johanna must wonder: is Rafi looking out for her happiness, or does he want the throne for himself?
 

With war on the horizon, Johanna and Rafi dodge treacherous dukes and Keeper assassins as they race to through the countryside, determined to strengthen the wall before it’s too late…even if it means sacrificing their happiness for the sake of their world.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • iBooks

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BECKY WALLACE

In second grade, Becky Wallace had to sit in the corner because she refused to write anything except princess stories and fairy tales (and because she talked too much). Her time in isolation gave her plenty of opportunities to dream up the fantasy worlds she’s been dabbling with ever since. She was lucky enough to find her own real-life Prince Charming. They have four munchkins and live in happy little town near Houston, Texas.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Pinterest • Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

Five lucky winners will each receive autographed sets of both The Storyspinner AND The Skylighter along with some awesome swag. Ten additional winners will get swag sets. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WEEK ONE
3/14/2016- Once Upon A Twilight- Interview 
3/15/2016- Jessabella Reads- Review  
3/16/2016- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt 
3/17/2016- Take Me Away To A Great Read- Review 
3/18/2016- a GREAT read- Interview

WEEK TWO
3/21/2016- Mundie Moms- Review

3/22/2016- Supernatural Snark- Guest Post

3/23/2016- Wishful Endings- Review

3/24/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

3/25/2016- Seeing Double In Neverland- Review

Review: Dangerous Lies

DANGEROUS LIES
Becca Fitzpatrick
Young Adult/Thriller
400 pages
Simon & Schuster BFYR
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

MY THOUGHTS
Dangerous Lies is a quick, exciting read, introducing us to Stella on the eve of her entry into Witness Protection and then whisking us off to the small town of Thunder Basin, Nebraska. From there we have the pleasure of watching as Stella grows and matures, forced to walk a mile in the shoes of good people living a small town life and thus change her perspective on a number of things. We're never allowed to forget the reason for Stella's new home situation however, the threat of discovery hanging over our heads throughout to ensure we ultimately choose one more chapter over going to bed at a reasonable hour.

Stella makes it a touch difficult to like her in the opening chapters, her very understandable hurt and anger at her mother for leaving her no choice but to join WITSEC in the first place spilling over onto all the wrong people. She chafes at the bit for the first few weeks, determined to weigh, measure and find wanting everything and everyone in Thunder Basin, and content to judge those around her left and right for choosing a life different from she's known. She also disobeys direct orders from the U.S. Marshal responsible for her safety by trying to get in touch with her boyfriend Reed (who is also in WITSEC), but she at least does so in arguably the smartest way possible, and once she receives no response she doesn't attempt further contact even as her desperation for news grows.

Once Stella gets a job and takes time to get to know some of the people she was so quick to consider beneath her, she becomes someone we can easily root for, standing up to the resident athletic hotshot/sociopath even when the cops try everything in their power to get her to look the other way. Her romance with Chet is something that could have easily gone wrong considering she's initially with someone else, but the way she handles herself makes the cheating issue more palatable, and she proves time and again that she doesn't take her shifting feelings lightly. She stays strong in the face of everything that's thrown at her, and by the end she takes every step necessary to remedy her past mistakes, learning more than she thought possible about herself along the way.

Overall, Dangerous Lies is pure entertainment, perfect for late night binge reading and snacking, and with just enough suspense and romance to keep us on the edge of our seats.

Rating: 4/5

Find Becca:

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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.

Cathy Reviews: We All Looked Up

Today I'm so pleased to welcome my wonderful mother-in-law Cathy back to the blog to share her latest review!

WE ALL LOOKED UP
Tommy Wallach
Contemporary/Sci-Fi-ish
370 pages
Simon & Schuster BFYR
Available Now'
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Before the asteroid we let ourselves be defined by labels:
The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever.

But then we all looked up and everything changed.

They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we'd been, something that would last even after the end.

Two months to really live.

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Tommy Wallach's teen debut novel, We All Looked Up, reminded me of a combination of The Breakfast Club meets Armageddon! All the teenage angst of high school is combined with the impending disaster of being annihilated by an asteroid. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and each voice belongs to a teen from a different high school clique. Mr. Wallach does a good job of giving us insight into each of the main characters lives. Teen readers are sure to identify with one or more of the characters as well as how the dynamics of high school are stressful and demanding.
 
Then Mr. Wallach drops the bombshell–or more accurately an asteroid–on the world. The world learns that an asteroid may hit the earth in two short months. We begin to see what our characters made of as the world is ending. The teens are already struggling with their identities and now they are further challenged. Do they become better versions of themselves or give in to the chaos? Mr. Wallach continues to develop the story and the characters without becoming maudlin but does darken the plot as impending doom nears. The intensity deepens quickly because we are not given much time and are not sure what the ultimate outcome will be.
 
It is a teen tale that will allow the reader to question their own identity, fears, morality and mortality. It is a story not about endings but finding meaning in life. I am giving this book a split rating based on whether the reader is a young adult or an adult. This book could be a good conversation starter between parents and their teens.

Rating: 3.5-4/5

Find Tommy:

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

I received no other compensation and the above is my, or in this case Cathy's, honest opinion.

Waiting on Tuesday (?): The Skylighter

It's been a little while since I've gotten to do a Waiting on Wednesday post, something I thoroughly enjoy because I get to fangirl over upcoming releases, and since I have a cover reveal scheduled for tomorrow (so excited!) I thought I would just convert my WoW feature into a WoT feature this week ;-)

THE SKYLIGHTER

The Keepers' Chronicles #2

Becky Wallace

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases March 2016 (yikes!) from Margaret K. McElderry Books

From Goodreads:

Johanna and Rafi are in a race against time to save their country before a power-mad Keeper destroys everything they hold dear in the “enthralling magical world” (Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Heir Chronicles) introduced in The Storyspinner.

As the last of the royal line, Johanna is the only person who can heal a magical breach in the wall that separates her kingdom of Santarem from the land of the Keepers, legendary men and women who wield elemental magic. The barrier protects Santarem from those Keepers who might try to take power over mere humans…Keepers who are determined to stop Johanna and seize the wall’s power for themselves.

And they’re not the only ones. As the duchys of Santarem descend into war over the throne, Johanna relies more than ever on the advice of her handsome companion, Lord Rafael DeSilva. But Rafi is a duke too, and his people come first. As their friendship progresses into the beginnings of a tender relationship, Johanna must wonder: is Rafi looking out for her happiness, or does he want the throne for himself?

With war on the horizon, Johanna and Rafi dodge treacherous dukes and Keeper assassins as they race to through the countryside, determined to strengthen the wall before it’s too late…even if it means sacrificing their happiness for the sake of their world.

I absolutely adored last year's The Storyspinner, so I can't wait to dive back in to Johanna and Rafi's world. Typically multiple POVs are a bit of a struggle for me, so when I learned The Storyspinner followed 5 different characters I was a little hesitant to pick it up, but I quickly fell madly in love with each of them and never once felt that itch to return to a character I found more interesting. It sounds like things are only going to get more difficult for Johanna and Rafi in this installment, and while that makes me absurdly nervous (I should start stocking up on chocolate now so I have enough by March), I still need this book in my life asap.

Goodreads • Amazon

Cathy Reviews: 100 Sideways Miles + Revenant

Today I'm welcoming my mother in law Cathy back to the blog to share a couple of her latest reviews. As always, a huge thank you to her for helping me tackle my review pile!

100 SIDEWAYS MILES
Andrew Smith
Contemporary Young Adult
277 pages
Simon & Schuster
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It’s how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he’s a real boy and not just a character in his father’s bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he’s ever loved.

Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma. When an unexpected accident happens and the boys become unlikely heroes, they take an eye-opening detour away from everything they thought they had planned—and learn how to write their own destiny.

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
The first thing that caught my attention about 100 Sideways Miles was the title and the cover. It has a horse falling from the sky! Very early on, we find out that, indeed, a horse fell from the sky and landed on top of Finn. This tale is the coming of age story of Finn and his best friend Cade. Because of the horse incident, Finn is an epileptic and Cade is always there to make sure that his friend is fine. At the start of the book, it is very much a boy's story, a buddy book. Complete with bodily function humor, girl ogling, and swearing. Let me add a warning if you are letting your middle grader read this, there is a lot of swearing. I can honestly say I wasn't sure I was going to finish the book because I felt it was geared more toward boys. But like many readers, once I start a book I have to finish it and I am glad that I stuck with it. As the story proceeds, Mr. Smith adds depth and insight to these characters and we truly begin to care about them. Finn and Cade take to the road and we see what they are made of and we embrace them.
 
We do hear what 100 Sideways Miles means. Finn has a complicated formula for measuring time as a distance. I am not quite sure how or why this is but I think Finn felt that it carried more weight and added depth to all situations. It gave life more importance. We all know life is complicated and if seeing it as a math problem helps, so be it.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Andrew:

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REVENANT
Greywalker #9
Kat Richardson
Urban Fantasy
464 pages
Roc/Penguin
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Turmoil, sickness, and destruction are sweeping through Europe—and its effects are being felt all the way across the world in Seattle. Harper Blaine and her lover, Quinton, suspect that Quinton’s father, James Purlis—and his terrifying Ghost Division—are involved.

Following a dark trail of grotesque crimes and black magic across the Old World, the pair slowly draws closer to their quarry. But finding and dismantling the Ghost Division won’t be enough to stop the horror that Purlis has unwittingly set in motion.

An ancient and forgotten cult has allied with Quinton’s mad father. And their goals are far more nightmarish than Harper and Quinton—or even Purlis—could ever imagine.

The pursuit leads to Portugal, where the desecrated tomb of a sleeping king and a temple built of bones recall Harper’s very first paranormal case and hold clues to the cult’s true intentions. Harper and Quinton will need all the help they can get to avert a necromantic cataclysm that could lay waste to Europe and drag the rest of the world to the brink of war.

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Revenant is the conclusion to the Greywalker series. Harper Blaine, the heroine, can travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. I have to admit that I had to look up the word revenant. It means a person who returns from the dead. And this explains what Harper is, she is not a ghost but someone that has come back. In this last installment, Harper travels to Portugal in search of her soulmate Quinton to aid him in a search for his father, who is trying to destroy the world. His father has teamed up with some otherworldly warriors that are determined to take control of the human world.
 
This story is probably the creepiest one yet. It deals with macabre and ritualistic uses of human bones and bone collecting. These bones are collected from the dead and the living! The Portugal setting adds to the overall eeriness – it's a picturesque country with a long and violent history. It is clear that Ms. Richardson has done her research and found historical facts that draw us in and make us believe in all things haunted. Because of her graphic descriptions, it is easy to picture ancient churches and monasteries and cobblestone pathways.
 
I would recommend starting with the first novel and reading through the series, especially now that there would be no wait. I had to review my notes from the previous book to bring me up to speed with the characters. It was well worth the review and becoming reacquainted with Harper and her unusual helpers in this case. Ms. Richardson does a fine job keeping the story moving along but this is a very detailed and overly involved plotline.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Kat:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon 

These books were 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 (or in this case, Cathy's) honest opinion.

Interview: Aaron Karo + Galgorithm

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Aaron Karo to the blog to answer a few questions about his newest release from Simon & Schuster, Galgorithm. I've always been a sucker for stories that deal with the giving of romantic advice, especially when that advice leads people humorously astray as that would inevitably be what happened should I try my hand at it. I hope you all enjoy the interview!

If your teenage self had requested Shane’s help, what’s the first thing he would have told you?

Lose the Zubaz. (If you don't know what that is, Google it!)

*I totally did. It was worth it.*

If Shane and Will Smith’s Hitch were ever to team up and combine their romantic wisdom, what might the resulting business name be?

Shane doesn't charge for his guidance so he would convince Will Smith to offer his services for free and call it Hitch.org

To help a larger number of guys on a broader basis Shane decides to put out a top ten list of the biggest mistakes teenage guys tend to make when approaching girls. What are the top three things on that list?

1) Not approaching her at all. Being too scared of rejection (otherwise known as pre-rejection or prejection) and standing in the corner instead of giving it a shot. What do you have to lose?

2) Not dressing to impress. It's what's inside that counts. But the outside also counts.

3) Being the same. Using the same moves and complimenting her on the same things as every other guy. Be different. Stand out. Make an impression.

If the Shane at the end of Galgorithm could give the Shane at the beginning one piece of advice regarding what’s to come for him, what would he most want pre-Galgorithm Shane to know?

Sometimes instead of following a formula, you have to follow your heart.

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

• • • • • • • • • • • •

GALGORITHM

A romantic comedy about high school, heartbreak, and having all the answers.

What if the secrets of dating and love were revealed in one simple formula? That's the tantalizing proposition high school senior Shane Chambliss offers the hopeless and hapless guys who come to him for relationship advice.

After the girl of his dreams breaks his heart, Shane devises a mysterious formula called the Galgorithm and establishes himself as the resident dating guru at Kingsview High School. But his attempts to master the art of romance go outrageously awry.

As Shane tries to navigate the ensuing drama, he must follow his heart, abandon all the rules, and ignore his own advice in a quest for true love. What he discovers, no formula could ever predict...

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

Find Aaron:

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