Waiting on Wednesday: Oath Bound, by Rachel Vincent

Waiting on Wednesday is aweekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine to highlight upcoming releases that we're excited about.


This week's pick is the final book in an adult trilogy:

Release date: April 23, 2013
Publisher: Mira
Format: Paperback, 400 pages

Goodreads description:
The Tower Syndicate will fall...

The secret daughter of the head of an infamous Skilled crime family, Sera Brandt has hidden her past, her potential and especially her powers. But when a tragedy strikes her other family, Sera needs justice. And the only way to get it is to reveal her heritage– including a rare Skill– and take the reins of the Tower Syndicate from her cunning and malicious aunt.

If he can figure out how...

Kristopher Daniels might have the answer. He's fought the syndicate to protect his sisters, but he'd never realized just how close to the new heir he needed to get....

And if they can survive.

Neither is used to trusting. But there's something between them that can't be ignored. And so Sera is on the run with a man she can't figure out, a target on her back and the new knowledge of just how powerful she really is....


I am both desperately pining for and dreading this book. I finished Shadow Bound a week ago and I loved it so, so much! The world Rachel Vincent created in this series is one of my favorite book worlds (even though it's so dark and ruthless) and I am not ready to say goodbye to it, or the characters! On the other hands, I am so curious to see how and if the Tower Syndicate (and Julia - I hate that bitch) will fall! Also, I really like that Kris apparently gets a voice in this book because he's always sort of been around but in a very peripheral way, so naturally I'm want to know more about him. I just hope Kori will make an appearance too because I love her, and I'm curious about Sera as well!
Have you read the previous books in the Unbound series? Are you also excited about Oath Bound? And what book did you pick this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 New-to-Me Authors I read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week there is a new topic the participants list their top ten for.


This week deals with the top ten authors I read for the first time in 2012.


I'm not big on hierarchy, so these are in no particular order!

1. Susan Dennard - Something Strange and Deadly
   I really love her book and she's such a nice person on Twitter and her blog! Her writing pulled me right in and her characters were awesome! So stoked for the sequel.
   
2. Laini Taylor - Daughter of Smoke and Bone
   Beautiful, lyrical writing. I was whisked away! Can't wait to start my copy of Days of Blood and Starlight! Also, she has pink hair. I love unnatural hair colors ^^
   
3. Lia Habel - Dearly, Departed
   I read this book recently, starting with some trepidation. Zombies. Hm. But I ended up enjoying it so much more than I thought! Her writing flows so easily, her characters have recognizable voices and despite all the death, her writing was really fun, too! Awesome snarky comebacks.
   
4. Kendare Blake - Anna Dressed in Blood
   I loved Cas' voice. He was amazing! Anna was an amazing girl sort-of-villain. I really loved the world building and the writing. It was very direct and honest and hard to put down.
   
5. Marie Rutkoski - The Shadow Society
   Her writing was wonderful, at times poetic. I loved the way she found new, refreshing ways to describe people and sceneries, atmospheres. No used-up clichés. And she put one of my favorite poems into the book, too!
   
6. Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus
   Loved everything about this book. Everything. Characters, setting, narrative structure... it breathed magic and love and tragedy. The ending was genius. The book made me think. If you mistrusted the buzz about this one - please do pick it up! It truly deserves all the attention it got!
   
7. Jennifer L. Armentrout - The Lux Series
   Another case of deserved hype! Great writing, great characters, new ideas, swoon-worthy love interest, and absolutely awesome and hilarious banter!
   
8. Jus Accardo - Touch
   Kick-ass heroine, fascinating male lead, lots of action and suspense! Can't wait to see where this series is going with the sequel.
   
9. Gina Damico - Croak series
   So. Much. Fun!! Love the sarcastic death humor XD I loved out loud so much while reading her books, nevermind the other train passengers! Also, she keeps surprising me with her plot twists. Her book trailers and blog are also super-fun.
   
10. Wendy Higgins - Sweet Evil
    I had high expectations for this debut and they were fully met! I loved Anna. I loved Kaidan. I really enjoyed the secondary characters, too! The world building is really interesting and I can't wait to dive into it again in the sequel. The writing was amazing, I felt as if I was right there in the middle of it all.

I could also have chosen: Jessica Khoury, Elizabeth Richards, Darynda Jones, Bethany Griffin, Scott Tracey, Katie McGarry, Wendy Higgins, Samantha Young, Ally Carter...

I read a lot of great new-to-me authors this year! I also explored and caught up on old favorites but I got into many, many new ones. I hope next year will be the same! It was really hard choosing a top ten. It might also to an extent coincide with what I've read most recently and what is therefore freshest on my mind, but I tried not counter that element as best I could. It's simply a fact that I read a lot of books lately that deserved 5 stars from me on goodreads.

What do you think of my top ten? Have you read them? And who made it onto your list?

Stacking the Shelves: quiet haul of awesomeness

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to show off new books that we got in the past week, be they print, ebooks, for review, bought, gifted, borrowed, whatever...


This week was rather slow in comparison, which is good because the next two weeks will be incredibly busy with multiple deadlines for essays, exams etc... I hate end-of-semester-stress >.<

Anyway, on to something more fun, which is new books! Click the covers to get to the goodreads page.


Won in Elle from My Life through a Book's birthday giveaway:

Declan loves death metal--particularly from Finland. And video games--violent ones. And internet porn--any kind, really. He goes to school with Neilly Foster and spends most of his classroom time wondering what it might be like to know her, to talk to her, maybe even to graze against her sweater in the hallway. Neilly is an accomplished gymnast, naturally beautiful, and a constant presence at all the best parties (to which Declan is never invited). She's the queen of cool, the princess of poker face, and her rule is uncontested-- or it was until today, when she's dumped by her boyfriend, betrayed by her former BFF Lulu, and then informed she's getting a new brother--of the freaky fellow classmate variety. Declan's dad is marrying Neilly's mom. Soon. Which means they'll be moving in together.

Thanks again, Elle :)
It was a tough choice between an ebook of this one and an ebook of Poison Princess, but I went with Notes from the Blender in the end because the paperback comes out even later than that for Poison Princess and I've wanted it for forever! If I like the ebook I'll probably buy the paperback anyway when it comes out because I'm just in love with the cover! I'm also in love with this type of pairing. Loved it with Varen and Isobel in Nevermore (though I think Varen is quite different form Declan from what I can tell so far), loved it with Will and Alona in The Ghost and the Goth. The type of dark guy in those books was a lot more my type than the athletic jocks (though in Declan's case I could do without the porn...). I'm so curious to see how this will turn out! I've read the first few pages and really enjoyed Declan's voice.


Bought for kindle:

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

I bought this because of a post I read in the blog tour of the sequel... I think. Anway, I thought it sounded intriguing because I can't really tell where this is going. Where is Julia's new artistic talent coming from? Is there a parallel universe thingy involved? And what's up with Evan? I guess I'll just have to read to find out :) 

I think this is it o.O Can't believe I got so little books without even putting myself on a ban!
Anyway, while you're here make sure to check out my giveaway for Frost Fire by Olivia Rivers, as well as the Kindle Fire giveaway in the book blast for Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four by Nya Jade!
Have you guys read or heard of any of my new books? And what did you get this week?

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four

Hi everyone! Today I'm part of the book blitz for Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four by Nya Jade. Below you can learn more about the book, and there's also an excerpt as well as an international Kindle Fire HD giveaway!

Release date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Dreamwell Publishing
Format: eBook

Description:
The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .

Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.

As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself—and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive.


The novel is on sale on Amazon for only $0.99 for all of December!



Author Bio

Nya Jade is a singer-songwriter and author based in San Francisco. Her music videos have aired on the VH1, BET, and MTV networks. USA Today hailed Nya as a “young female troubadour worth keeping your eyes and ears on,” in an entertainment feature on up-and-coming singer-songwriters. “Her cool singing voice recalls Sade,” said the LA Times.

Between writing and performing new music, Nya took a musical sabbatical to focus on writing a novel—an endeavor she found quite daunting, until she began looking at each chapter as a verse in a very long song. Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four is her first novel.

In her free time, Nya enjoys hanging out with family and friends, searching for amazing gluten-free desserts, and bargain hunting for her next pair of funky shoes.
Nya holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Sociology, both from Stanford University.

Website     Goodreads     Facebook     Twitter

Excerpt:

One

Phoebe was too far away to sense whether the boy had one heart or two. Through the maze of trees with clattering leaves, she could see him moving with purposeful speed. He was headed toward her destination—a brownstone chapel perched at the top of a small hill. Not knowing the boy’s nature made Phoebe hesitate. Then came the sound of tower bells. Eight o’clock. There was no time to think of an alternate route. She was officially late for the Conversion.

A loud, echoing crack quickened Phoebe’s pace as lightning slashed the indigo sky above her. She had barely reached the base of the hill when rain began pounding down. Clutching the camera that hung from the strap around her neck, she sprinted the final stretch, arriving breathless.

Phoebe wiped the rain from her face, and then entered the chapel. Inside, light from moon-facing windows cast a misty glow across the sanctuary, the air redolent with the smoke of a blazing fireplace. She glanced around the heart of the nondenominational Green Lane Academy. It seemed so ordinary, so quiet, even peaceful. Rows of pews with velvet cushions ran the width of the room. She moved between them, taking care to remain in the shadows. An irregular shape in a dark corner caught her eye and Phoebe could just barely make out the outline of the boy. He knelt with his head between his hands, his body huddled against a pew. Praying.

Phoebe paused several feet away and waited. After a moment she felt energy seeping from the boy’s skin, raising the hairs on hers. Cold and electric, it meant one thing: the boy had only one heart. She couldn’t risk him seeing what she had come there to do. That meant waiting. Just then, something stirred behind her.


Intrigued? I love the setting of the academy with a Campus Above and a Campus Below, and it sounds like there will be plenty of action! What do you guys think of the cover & description?

Giveaway (INT):
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Dare You To, by Katie McGarry

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine to showcase upcoming books that we're excited about.


This week's can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on pick is:

Release date: May 28, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages

Goodreads description:
"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....


I bet this one is a popular pick now that the cover has just been revealed, but ever since reading a short excerpt of this book at the back of my Netgalley ARC of Pushing The Limits, I can't wait to read Beth's story! I grew to really like her attitude in Pushing The Limits. She's a tough cookie. Not so sure about this Ryan guy though (jocks=so not my type)... but well, I love initially unlikely pairings. Interesting that we have a bad girl instead of a bad boy this time!
What do you think about the book? Did you enjoy Pushing The Limits? And what book are you eagerly anticipating?

Book Blast & Giveaway: The Immortal Circus, by A.R. Kahler

Hello lovelies! I'm really happy to be part of the book blast for A.R. Kahler's The Immortal Circus.  I've been following his way to publication via twitter & his blog for about a year and I can't wait to finally read his book! Below you will find an introduction, as well as an explanation of the serial kindle publication & competition between four blogs, representing the two courts in the novel. I'm really curious to see how this will all play out! At the bottom of the post you will also find a giveaway for 10 kindle ebooks.

***

Ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you a show unlike any you've seen before.

Within the walls of THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS, you'll be amazed by acts of tragic romance, seductive magic, and maybe even a little murder.

After all, loves, nothing is what it seems under this big top. Not even your innocent little heroine, Vivienne.

Released every two weeks through the Kindle Serials program, we'll be sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, right up to the breathtaking conclusion that will have you begging for more. But don't worry, loves—you'll delight in the anticipation.

I personally guarantee it.

Follow our spectacle across four blogs representing the two Faerie Courts. There will be exclusive interviews and artwork, backstage reviews and more from the author, A.R. Kahler—and trust me when I say, he knows the circus well. Pick a side, promote the show, and compete for your chance to win a spectacular prize of circus goods.

And my eternal love, of course.

Trust me when I say, when the final curtain falls, no one and no thing will ever be the same. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The show's just beginning.

Are you ready to run away forever?

~Mab

Ringleader, Fashionista, and Queen of the Winter Court

Choose Your Court...

***

About THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS

Murdered contortionists aren’t exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can't quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—especially not when she realizes the devilishly attractive ringleader Mab is the Faerie Queen of legend…and that she and the rest of the troupe are locked in an age-old rivalry between the otherworldly Courts.

Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his smart-ass assistant Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargains for.

The show's just beginning.

 GOODREADS    AMAZON    FACEBOOK    WEBSITE

About A.R. Kahler

Most little boys dream of running away to join the circus. Alex didn't just dream it: he did it. But then, he rarely lets a good dream pass him by.

In the past six years he's toured and trained across America and Europe. He's performed in Amsterdam, taught trapeze in Madrid, studied in Glasgow and even had a stint as assistant to Holly Black and Cassandra Clare in New England. He's constantly on the lookout for new places to explore and new worlds to invent. He's a Sagittarius fueled by full moons and espresso. The way to his heart is a latte and fan art. Just for the record.

THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS is his first New Adult novel, and is being released exclusively through the Amazon Kindle e-Serials program by 47North. It will be available in print and audio when the episodes are complete.

MARTYR the first book in his post-apocalyptic fantasy, will be published by Spencer Hill Press in October 2014

Find him: 

TWITTER as @ARKahler    TWITTER as @ImmortalCircus    WEBSITE

• There are 10 Kindle eBook serial copies of THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS up for grabs.
• The giveaway is 3 days ONLY and it’s open to anyone 13 and older who can receive gifted Kindle books.
• The winners will be announced within 24 hours after the giveaway closes in the Rafflecopter form.
• All giveaway rules are listed in the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz &eBook Giveaway: Frost Fire, by Olivia Rivers

Happy Monday guys! Today I'm part of the Frost Fire book blitz organized by Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours. Below you can find a book description as well as an excerpt, and there's a giveaway for an eBook copy, winner's format of choice, at the end of the post!

Release date: November 20, 2012
Publisher: self-published
Format: eBook

Description:
“Magic is just like love, Allai. It won’t wait for permission before it destroys you.”



Like sand in an hourglass, Allai’s future is dwindling away. She’s spent her entire life fighting the Mages who threaten humanity, and dreams of someday eradicating magic. But all it takes is an anonymous phone call for the truth to spill out: Allai is the one thing she despises most. 



She’s a Mage. 



Though ancient law mandates Allai’s death, she still has one last chance of survival. His name is Drake Rhaize, and he swears he can lead Allai to a sanctuary for Mages. Allai hasn’t seen Drake in years, but she remembers him as the Demon boy who used to hold her close and softly whisper that he’d keep her safe. But Drake has changed since then: He’s now suspected of murder, and has been out-casted for betraying his own kind. 



While Allai doesn’t trust Drake, she has no choice but to put her life in his hands and hope he can get her to safety. Because Allai’s father has hired a pack of Demons to bring her back to him, dead or alive–and Demons never stop the hunt. 

Amazon     Barnes & Noble

About Olivia Rivers

Olivia Rivers is a high school student, a literary agent intern, and an obsessive-compulsive reader. She has a slight obsession with Kootenai County in Idaho, and she’s pretty sure life will always be awesome as long as Irish accents exist. She lives with dysautonomia, a chronic medical condition affecting her nervous system. Portions of proceeds from her “Tortured Elements” series go toward supporting youth with dysautonomia.

Website     Goodreads     Twitter

An excerpt from Frost Fire

Seeing him was like reliving a perfect daydream and her worst nightmare at the same time. She didn’t know how to react. She didn’t know how to even think.

She knew Drake was the guy who’d tried to take her life. But somehow she couldn’t feel the right kind of fear toward him. She didn’t have that gut-wrenching, instinctual terror she’d felt toward Silas. Her fear for Drake was way more confusing, but she was slowly starting to decipher it:

She was afraid of learning the truth. Of finding out whether all those memories of him—of his comforting golden eyes and soft words—were real or not.

The thought threw off her footsteps, and she nearly missed the next step of the staircase. She slammed her foot down to regain balance. Her bad foot, of course. Because wasn’t that just her luck?

Pain ricocheted through her ankle, almost tearing a scream from her. But she held it back, biting her lip and only letting out a tiny whimper. Luke was going to have to look at her ankle and make sure it was only sprained, and not broken.

As if on cue, he appeared at the top of the stairs, his arms crossed and his expression turned down in a scowl. Allai read his expression and swallowed hard to keep her pounding heart in place. How could he have found out about Drake so quickly?

Allai gripped the banister, her nails digging into the smooth varnish. She had to tell him. She had to just blurt everything out and pretend she’d had no intention of keeping Drake’s predicament a secret.

“Allai,” Luke said quietly.

She hobbled up a few more steps and didn’t reply. She just focused on the plush carpet covering the steps, trying to dig her good foot into it to keep from slipping. All she had to do was open her mouth and say some simple words: Drake Rhaize is out by the border. Go catch him. It should have been easy.

But it wasn’t. 

I love the sound of this one! A girl turning out to be the thing she was taught to hate and hunt. A forbidden demon boy. I'm really curious about their past and about what's going to happen to Allai! What do you guys think of the cover and description? Tell me in the comments, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!


Giveaway 

Rules:

• Open internationally. Just fill out the Rafflecopter.
• One entry per person / household.
• I will forward the winner to the tour organizer, who will then get in contact with him/her and send the book in the winner's preferred eBook format.
• Once I've passed on the winner's information, I am no longer responsible for what happens.
• Winner must respond to my email within 48 hours, or I'll pick someone new.
• Duplicate entries / other forms of cheating result in disqualification. All entries will be deleted.
• I will check every single entry before picking a winner. That way, cheaters are spotted in advance and they don't falsify the odds of winning for other people.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking the Shelves: mixed bunch

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted at Tynga's reviews to share the books we got in the past week. These can be print or ebooks, bought or gifted, borrowed, found, for review...


From Netgalley:

Devil's Bargain (Red Letter Days #1), by Rachel Caine
The Sea of Tranquility, by Katja Millay

I requested Devil's Bargain ages ago and didn't expect the approval anymore. Cool that I got it though! I love Rachel's Morganville Vampires series. And just look at that cover...
The Sea of Tranquility is one I just got approved for a minute ago (requested Friday). I read some amazing reviews of it this week and when it was feautred in the Netgalley newsletter I just couldn't resist... I'm grateful it's only coming out in June though because I have serious case of too-many-books at the moment.



Bought in print:

Shadow Bound (Unbound #2), by Rachel Vincent

I ordered this a while ago and it finally arrived! I loved Blood Bound, the first book in the series, and I can't wait to read the book focusing on Kori.


Ebooks I bought:


Luminosity, by Stephanie Thomas
The Eighties - a Bitchen Time to Be a Teenager, by Tom Harvey
Life on the Edge, by Jennifer Comeaux


I read the kindle-excerpt for Luminosity a while ago and really liked it, so when the author was hosting a giveaway on her blog for those who bought the eBook where you could win a Luminosity hoodie (!!) I bought it. It costs less than a latte at Starbucks, after all.
I saw Tom Harvey's book on someone else's blog a while ago and thought it sounded interesting. When it was free (dunno if it still is) I snagged it.
As for Life on the Edge, I was part of the blog tour but had a promo post, not a review, though I thought it sounded awesome. Time issues. However, it was on discount and now it's mine to read when I have the time. I have quite a bunch of NA contemporaries waiting for me on the kindle ^^


Have you read any of these? What did you get this week?