Monday, December 23, 2013

My Advance Christmas Present to All of You

Monday, December 23, 2013
Hi everyone! Advance Merry Christmas!

I'm sorry if I haven't posted anything this past two weeks. The Christmas spirit brought out my inner procrastinator which resulted in a review slump. But don't worry, I didn't waste all my time watching movies/anime with my siblings. Some of my time was spent drawing/sketching stuff. So since I owe all of you an apology for my sort-of semi-hiatus, I will show you a book-inspired fan-art I created recently.

I got inspired to create this drawing after I received an email from the awesome publicist of Abrams & Chronicles regarding my most anticipated book of 2014. It is not a secret that I'm a huge fan of Splintered by A.G. Howard (read my review here) and I was over the moon when I found out I got approved for Unhinged. The excitement and giddiness from the news gave birth to this fan-art of Morpheus. Here he is in his chibi form.

This is my raw sketch of him. I wasn't planning on coloring it, actually but when I transferred that photo in my laptop, I realize how bland it is. I mean, it wouldn't be Morpheus without his blue hair, dark wings and eccentric outfits, right? So I used my Photoshop skills (which is nothing much to be brag about) to give life to it. What do you think? Did you like his Christmas-themed outfit?

If you didn't like it, here's more matching outfits to choose from.


To be honest, I dont like Morpheus because he's manipulative and cryptic. But despite my dislike of him, I have to admit that he is an interesting bug, I mean, guy with a morbid sense in fashion. I really had a blast drawing him especially his hat. And speaking of hat, I don't know how to draw a top hat adorned with moth and bugs so I just made it a little bit steampunk. It still suits him, don't you think?

Anyway, that's all for now. Fans of Jeb, don't worry. I'll chibi-fy him too and of course, Aly and the other Wonderland characters. 

I will appreciate every comments and constructive criticisms about my drawing so don't be shy to say what you honestly think of it. Okay? Thank you in advance! 

And again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Friday, December 13, 2013

ARC Review: Cracked (Soul Eater #1)

Friday, December 13, 2013
Title: Cracked (Soul Eater #1)
Author: Eliza Crewe
Genre/s: Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy, Horror,
Released Date: November 5, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Meet Meda. She eats people.

Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.

They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.

Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.

The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Book Review: Just Like Fate

Thursday, December 12, 2013
Title: Just Like Fate
Author: Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young
Genre/s: Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Stand Alone
Released Date: August 27, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.

Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.

Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Book Review: The Originals

Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Title: The Originals 
Author: Cat Patrick
Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Stand Alone
Released Date: May 1, 2013
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Ella, Betsey and I look like sisters: triplets, you might think.

But that's not what we are at all.

We are clones in hiding. We split our lives and exist as one person in the outside world. And we've always been happy.

But now I've fallen in love ... and that changes everything.

Because to let love in, I need to be allowed to be Me.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Book Review: Blackout (Blackout #1)

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Title: Blackout (Blackout #1)
Author: Robison Wells
Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Released Date: October 1, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Deadly attacks are sweeping across the country.

Alec and Laura are at the center of the violence, while in a small remote town, Aubrey and Jack feel sheltered from the turmoil.

But these four seemingly normal teenagers are about to find their lives connected in ways they could never have imagined--and one wrong step could trigger an explosion that ends it all.

Monday, December 09, 2013

Book Review: Night Witches

Monday, December 09, 2013
Title: Night Witches
Author: LJ Adlington
Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, History, Romance
Released Date: September 5, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

A supernatural thriller-romance set in an all-girl teenage bomber-pilot regiment, combining witchcraft and legend.

TWO NATIONS AT WAR. ONE GIRL CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE.
Rain Aranoza is a teenage bomber-pilot from Rodina, a nation of science and fact ruled by the all knowing Aura, where the belief in witches or any type of superstition is outlawed. Rain's regiment is made up of only teenage girls and their role is vital to the war effort against the Crux, a nation of faith and belief, where nature and God are celebrated and worshipped.

But Rain is struggling with another battle. She's always had a sense that her nature is different from everyone else's, and that a dormant power threatens to burst out of her.

When she encounters a young Scrutiner she falls in love with him, but is torn between what she has been taught is right, and what feels right. As her understanding of her latent power grows, the enemy threatens both her friends and her love. She can no longer ignore the power but she must choose how she uses it ...
But what will she lose in the process?

Saturday, December 07, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #10/ GWIMM #25

Saturday, December 07, 2013

Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Christmas came EARLY!!!! You don't know how excited I am to receive all this upcoming 2014 books. But sadly, I am currently in a reading ban until I review all or most of the review copies I received this year. You see, I'm a faster reader than I am as a writer so most of the books I finished were piled in the pending-for-review and that's where I'm focusing on right now. So expect a lot reviews this month because I'm eager and extra motivated to end this reading ban.

Anyway here are the books I received this past two weeks.

FOR REVIEW


(I read The Almost Girl before I enforced the reading ban and it was AMAZING!!!)


I'd like to THANK Megan of HarperCollins and Caroline of Strange Chemistry for being so awesome and for giving me this books. 

What did you get this week? Leave your links here! I'd love to see them too.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

ARC Review: Fearsome Dreamer

Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Title: Fearsome Dreamer (Fearsome Dreamer #1)
Author: Laure Eve
Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Fantasy, Romance
Released Date: October 3, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

There is a world where gods you’ve never heard of have wound themselves into hearts, and choice has led its history down a different path.

This is a world where France made a small, downtrodden island called England part of its vast and bloated empire.

There are people here who can cross a thousand miles with their minds. There are rarer people still who can move between continents in the blink of an eye.

These people are dangerous.

And wanted. Desperately wanted.

Apprentice hedgewitch Vela Rue knows that she is destined for more. She knows being whisked off from a dull country life to a city full of mystery and intrigue is meant to be. She knows she has something her government wants, a talent so rare and precious and new that they will do anything to train her in it.

But she doesn’t know that she is being lied to. She doesn’t know that the man teaching her about her talent is becoming obsessed by her, and considered by some to be the most dangerous man alive ...

Friday, November 22, 2013

Book Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Friday, November 22, 2013
Title: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre/s: Adult, Romance, Chick-Lit, Stand Alone
Released Date: February 12, 2012

Synopsis:

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Book Review: The Colossus Rises (Seven Wonders #1)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Title: The Colossus Rises (Seven Wonders #1)
Author: Peter Lerangis
Genre/s: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Action Adventure
Released Date: February 5, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy it on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

One Boy

Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he’s going to die.

One Mission

Jack needs to find seven magic loculi that, when combined, have the power to cure him.

One Problem

The loculi are the relics of a lost civilization and haven’t been seen in thousands of years.

Seven Wonders

Because they’re hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Book Review: The Chaos of Stars

Monday, November 18, 2013
Title: The Chaos of Stars
Author: Kiersten White
Genre/s: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Mythology Romance, Stand Alone
Released Date: September 10, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy it on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Book Review: Antigoddess (Goddess War #1)

Friday, November 15, 2013
Title: Antigoddess (Goddess War #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Genre/s: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, Horror
Released Date: October 3, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy it on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

The acclaimed author of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD returns with an incredible story about ancient gods, modern love and an epic fight for survival

He was Apollo, the sun, and he'd burn down anything that tried to hurt her... Cassandra and Aidan are just your average high-school couple. Or so Cassandra believes. Blissfully unaware that she was once a powerful prophetess, Cassandra doesn't even know thats god exist... Until now.

Because the gods are dying - and Cassandra could hold the answer to their survival. But Aidan has a secret of his own. He is really Apollo, god of the sun, and he will do anything to protect the girl he loves from the danger that's coming for her. Even if it means war against his immortal family...

Sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; relentless action and suspense - ANTIGODDESS is the YA novel you've been waiting for.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Book Review: What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles #1)

Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Title: What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles #1)
Author: Kat Zhang
Genre/s: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Released Date: September 18, 2012
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy it on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

I should not exist. But I do.

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Book Review: Defiance (Defiance #1)

Monday, November 11, 2013
Title: Defiance (Defiance #1)
Author: C.J. Redwine
Genre/s: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: August 28, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Monday, November 04, 2013

Book Review: Blackbirds (Miriam Black #1)

Monday, November 04, 2013
Title: Blackbirds (Miriam Black #1)
Author: Chuck Wendig
Genre/s: Adult, Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Miriam Black knows when you will die.

She’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides.

But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim.

No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Trailer Reveal: When The World Was Flat(and We Were in Love)

Sunday, November 03, 2013
Hi everyone! I'm happy to show you the trailer reveal of the amazing YA contemporary novel, When the World was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach. Enjoy!

Title: When the World was Flat (and we were in love)
Author: Ingrid Jonach
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Release Date: 3 September 2013 (US/Canada) and 5 September 2013 (UK)
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.

But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in love.

When she at last learns the truth about their connection, Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also discovers that once you finally understand that the world is round, there is no way to make it flat again.

An epic and deeply original sci-fi romance, taking inspiration from Albert Einstein’s theories and the world-bending wonder of true love itself.
 BOOK TRAILER



Author Bio
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Ingrid Jonach writes books for children and young adults, including the chapter books The Frank Frankie and Frankie goes to France published by Pan Macmillan, and When the World was Flat (and we were in love) published by Strange Chemistry.

Since graduating from university with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing (Hons) in 2005, Ingrid has worked as a journalist and in public relations, as well as for the Australian Government.

Ingrid loves to promote reading and writing, and has been a guest speaker at a number of schools and literary festivals across Australia, where she lives with her husband Craig and their pug dog Mooshi.
Despite her best efforts, neither Craig nor Mooshi read fiction.

Find out more at www.ingridjonach.com

Did you like the book trailer? Want a chance to win a copy of the book? 

Saturday, November 02, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #9 / GWIMM #24

Saturday, November 02, 2013
Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

I died and went to heaven when I received this package. I'm overjoyed, I CAN'T EVEN!!! 



I'd like to THANK Sarah and Megan of HarperCollins for this. Seriously, you're the BEST!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,Thank you,Thank you, ad infinitum 

What did you get this week? Leave your links here! I'd love to see them too.

Friday, November 01, 2013

Book Review: Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)

Friday, November 01, 2013
Title: Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)
Author: Colleen Hoover 
Genre/s: Young Adult/ New Adult, Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: October 14, 2013

Synopsis:

This novella is a companion novel to the Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.

Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

@StrangeChem Author Slambook: Amalie Howard + Giveaway

Tuesday, October 29, 2013


Author Bio
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Amalie Howard grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 22 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn¹t entirely convinced which takes more guts. She received a bachelor¹s degree from Colby College in Maine in International Studies and French, and a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. She currently resides in New York with her husband and three children.

She is the author of The Aquarathi series from Harlequin TEEN (Waterfell and Oceanborn), The Almost Girl from Strange Chemistry, Alpha Goddess from Sky Pony Press, and Bloodspell from Langdon Street Press. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency. Visit her at www.amaliehoward.com.
Favorites
1. What is your favorite color? Red
2. Favorite food? Medium-rare filet mignon
3. Favorite movie of all time? The Fifth Element
4. Favorite song? Favorite song of the moment is Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey
5. Favorite book of all time? Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
All about Writing
1. How did your interest in writing originated?
A voracious reader from a young age, I began writing when I started reading on my own, probably around six. I was always scribbling some story or another into a journal. I had my first poem published when I was 12 and I won an award in a global youth writing competition when I was 15. That said, I did take a bit of a circuitous route after college to pursue a successful sales career in global telecommunications for thirteen years, and I got to travel the world during that career, which I loved. But now I’m all about the writing.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I try to write everyday. A word count goal is always useful because if you treat it like something you have to do, then you get into the habit of writing something daily. And when you start to deal with writing deadlines, you’ll be grateful for that habit. That said, when I’m inspired, that can totally change. If I’m on a roll, I just go. It really depends on when those creative juices get going. Lately, with book promotion taking up so much of my time, I’ve had to allocate specific time for working on my WIP. I think structure is important; otherwise I’d be on social media all day long. Admittedly, I have procrastination issues.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?
I am a bit of a pantser by nature (I write by the seat of my pants) and my books tend to be very character driven as a result. I enjoy letting my characters take me on their journey, instead of forcing them on a path that I’ve pre-mapped out for them. I like to be surprised when something happens that I don’t expect. In general, I do write a skeleton-type outline just to keep track of my overall story arc, but I do not write detailed outlines. Unless, of course, I owe a contracted synopsis to my editor, which is an entirely different story.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?
In The Almost Girl, the hardest was to get the ins and outs of jumping between universes just right. Readers are such savvy creatures, and a loose end or implausible plot-hole can unravel your entire story. Pushing the boundaries of possibility still requires tethering to an explainable reality. The easiest part was the fight scenes. They were so fun to write. Riven in The Almost Girl is so kickass that I get a total adrenaline rush when writing any scene where she takes out the bad guys. She’s fierce. And I haven’t even mentioned the swords …

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I read, and I indulge my love for good food. I also enjoy ocean surfing or any outdoor sports, and I’m addicted to movies. I also like spending time with my family.
Finish the sentence
1. The difference between fiction and reality is whatever you want it to be.
2. Research is what I'm doing when I buy twin swords at Comic Con inNew York City just because they look like Riven’s ninjata swords in The Almost Girl.
3. I can write better when I have my headphones in, listening to a rocking playlist.
4. Sleep is an excellent way to dream up more story ideas.
5. A room without a book is definitely not one in my house
Books

Title: The Almost Girl
Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Released Date: January 4, 2014
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Pre-order Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?
Giveaway !!!
The Rules:
  • Open Internationally 
  • Must be 13+ to enter
  • Winners will be notified via email
  • A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
  • Use the Rafflecopter to enter. I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
  • Contest ends January 4, 2014 (Release Date)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 28, 2013

Winners of Author's Month Giveaways: Fourth Week

Monday, October 28, 2013

Before I announced the winners to this giveaway, I'm going to thank, first and foremost, our awesome authors for donating their books to this event. Thank you Erin Richards and Elizabeth May  for being so generous.

And lastly, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this giveaway. :)

Okay, let's get down to business. These are the winners in our giveaways.

Vigilante Nights Giveaway
Vanessa R. Silva-Netto

The Falconers Giveaway
Johnnie-Marie Howard


To all the winners, check your email or spam. You only have 48 hours to email me your mailing address. Or else I will have to pick a new winner.

If you didn't win today, don't worry, there's still plenty of open giveaways you can join. Try and try until you succeed. :)

@StrangeChem Author Slambook: Miche Sipes + Giveaway


Author Bio
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Miche Sipes wrote her first play at the age of six and has been writing creatively ever since. Well, if you don’t count the occasional decade-long lapse. Though she has worked as a technical writer and instructional designer, she always gravitates back to her first and true love—telling stories.

Miche has lived in Maryland and Florida, but now resides in Colorado. Whenever she’s not writing—or finding ingenious ways to procrastinate like flossing her cat’s teeth—she can be found hiking in the mountains with her husband.
Favorites
1. What is your favorite color? Violet
2. Favorite food? Chocolate
3. Favorite movie of all time? Toughie, but I love anything that makes me laugh out loud and one of my all-time favorite comedies is "Death At A Funeral" (the original version, of course)
4. Favorite song? At the moment, almost anything by Mumford & Sons
5. Favorite book of all time? Impossible to choose, but I can say that the book I've reread more than any other is Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"
All about Writing
1. How did your interest in writing originate?
I think I was born a writer. I've always written in one form or another. But only in the last few years did I decide to try writing novel-length fiction.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I tend to write in the late morning through early afternoon. I set a fairly easy word count and hope I exceed it.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?
I start with an idea for a novel and just write. I might have a couple of key plot points at the beginning, but that's all. As I write, more of the story comes into focus and I jot down scenes or bits of dialogue that reveal themselves. So at that point I guess I'm doing an informal outline as I go.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?
The hardest part is overcoming self-doubt and believing that writing is a worthwhile thing to do. The easiest part is trusting in the narrative and letting the story tell itself.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Hike in the mountains. I recently moved to Colorado and am still in awe.

Finish the sentence
1. The difference between fiction and reality is --wait, there's a difference?
2. Research is what I'm doing when I'm surfing the web. I swear, I'm not just looking at cat videos.
3. I can write better when I pull the Internet cable from my computer.
4. Sleep is an excellent way to dream.
5. A room without a book is lonely.
Books
Title: An Angel Torched My Homework and Other Lies
Genre/s: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: June 3, 2014 

Synopsis:

Imagine if vampires, werewolves, angels and zombies were merely humans with a genetic mutation . . . could Norms and Differents ever get along?

Carrie Philips just wants her junior year at Clement Academy to go smoothly. Sure, it’s the first high school in the nation to integrate Norms like her with the Differents. But the Diffs are just typical teenagers with teeny-tiny genetic anomalies. They’re certainly not dangerous or anything. At least that’s what Carrie has always believed.

But when several of her fellow students are mysteriously assaulted, cracks form in Carrie’s worldview. Cracks she tries to ignore while defending her friends from anti-Diff backlash and solving the mystery of who’s really behind the attacks.

Then, Carrie stumbles on a bombshell that could forever change how Norms and Diffs see each other. So much for a quiet school year.
Giveaway !!!
The Rules:
  • Open Internationally 
  • Must be 13+ to enter
  • Winners will be notified via email
  • A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
  • Use the Rafflecopter to enter. I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
  • Contest ends June 3, 2014 (Release Date)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #8/ GWIMM #23

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

I received two books this week from the author(Thanks, Mr Whibley!). My sister read both of this book already in just two days so it's pretty obvious that it was fast-paced. So without further ado, here's my haul!



What did you get this week? Leave your links here! I'd love to see them too.

Friday, October 25, 2013

ARC Review: The Brokenhearted

Friday, October 25, 2013
Title: The Brokenhearted
Author: Amelia Kahaney
Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Released Date: October 8, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Synopsis:


A teenage girl is transformed into a reluctant superhero and must balance her old life with the dark secret of who she has become.


Prima ballerina Anthem Fleet is closely guarded by her parents in their penthouse apartment. But when she meets the handsome Gavin at a party on the wrong side of town, she is immediately drawn into his dangerous world. Then, in a tragic accident, Anthem falls to her death. She awakes in an underground lab, with a bionic heart ticking in her chest. As she navigates her new life, she uncovers the sinister truth behind those she trusted the most, and the chilling secret of her family lineage…and her duty to uphold it.

The Dark Knight meets Cinder in this gripping and cinematic story of heartbreak and revenge. From Alloy Entertainment, this inventive new superhero story is sure to captivate any reader.

@StrangeChem Author Slambook: Lisa O'Kane + Giveaway


Author Bio
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Lisa Ann O’Kane is a young adult author and former vagabond who once camped out in Yosemite National Park for an entire summer, an experience that inspired her debut novel Essence (June 2014).

Her background is in zookeeping and environmental education, and she has been kicked, cornered, bitten and chased by nearly every animal she has ever loved. She currently resides in Florida, and she is now a huge fan of shooting stars, indoor plumbing and keeping both her feet planted firmly on the trail.
Favorites
1. What is your favorite color? Spring green
2. Favorite food? Macaroni & cheese. Obviously.
3. Favorite movie of all time? Up
4. Favorite song? "Fool in the Rain" by Led Zeppelin
5. Favorite book of all time? The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein
All about Writing
1. How did your interest in writing originate?
On some level, I always knew I wanted to be a writer. My mother will tell you I was "writing" long before I could spell: scrawling complicated picture books and reciting them verbatim to anyone and everyone who would listen.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I am definitely the hare, not the tortoise, so I will often have a 2,000 to 4,000 word day followed by several weeks of silence. It's a pain, but I have gotten used to it.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?
I tend to give myself a very basic outline, and then I veer wildly from my plans.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?
I attempted to pigeonhole one particular character in ESSENCE, and the plot fought back until I finally gave up the reins and let the story do what it wanted to do. This was simultaneously the most terrifying and the most liberating thing I have ever done while writing.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I take my stand-up paddleboard out several times a week, and I also spend quite a lot of time outdoors with my German Shepherd mix Lexi. I am incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by so many friends and family members in the Tampa Bay area, and we often enjoy live music, microbrews and adventures together.
Finish the sentence
1. The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction sees reality through a lens.
2. Research is what I'm doing when I'm up to no good.
3. I can write better when I stop worrying and just write.
4. Sleep is an excellent way to recharge and discover new ideas for the morning.
5. A room without a book is not my kind of room!
Books
Title: Essence (Essence #1)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository
Synopsis:

Neutrality is the key to longevity.

This motto has governed 17-year-old Autumn’s life in the mid-21st-century Centrist cult, which believes that expressing emotions leads to Essence drain and premature death.

But Autumn’s younger brother’s death casts her faith into question. While sprinting through a park in violation of Centrist teachings, she encounters Ryder Stone, an Outsider who claims Essence drain is nothing more than a Centrist scare tactic. She agrees to join his Community, a utopia of adrenaline junkies living in the abandoned remains of Yosemite National Park.

Autumn learns about sex, drugs, and living life to the fullest. But as she discovers dark secrets beneath the Community’s perfect exterior, she realises that this illusion of paradise could be shattered…
Giveaway !!!
The Rules:
  • Open Internationally 
  • Must be 13+ to enter
  • Winners will be notified via email
  • A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
  • Use the Rafflecopter to enter. I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
  • Contest ends June 3, 2014 (Release Date)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, October 24, 2013

@StrangeChem Author Slambook: M.G. Buehrlen + Giveaway

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Author Bio
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

When she's not writing, M.G. moonlights as a web designer and social media/creative director. She's the current web ninja lurking behind the hugely popular website YABooksCentral.com, a social network for YA (and kids!) book lovers. If you look hard enough, you might spot M.G. hiding in these places: in her creaky old house nestled in Michigan pines, sipping coffee on her porch, playing in leaf piles, cooking over campfires, and dipping her toes in creek beds.
Favorites
1. What is your favorite color? My childhood self would say Magenta, mostly because it's such a fun word to say. My grownup self would say Autumn. All colors of Autumn.
2. Favorite food? How about an entire food group: Dairy. Slather it on, please and thank you.
3. Favorite movie of all time? The Princess Bride, hands down.
4. Favorite song? Currently? Down in the Valley by The Head and the Heart
5. Favorite book of all time? Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. Also The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
All about Writing
1. How did your interest in writing originate?
I've always loved stories. My father is a natural story-teller, keeping visitors enraptured long into the night at his dinner table, so I may have caught the bug from him. I didn't have money to buy books, and I lived on a farm too far from the library, so if I wanted stories to read, I had to write them myself. First I scribbled in notebooks, then hammered away on the typewriter, then saved entire chapters on my old Commodore 64. I honestly can't remember a time when I wasn't writing. It's always been a part of me.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I try to carve out full days of writing when I can. Two days a week I go to the YABooksCentral.com office for The Day Job. The rest of the week I commit to writing: from the moment I wake until the moment I crash in bed. My husband is the amazing kind who brings me coffee and meals, and reminds me to take breaks. I prefer marathon writing to little spurts here and there.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?
I always outline in some form or another. I have to know what's coming next or else I lose interest in the story. When I know a particular thrilling or delicious scene is coming soon, it pushes me to keep writing until I get there. Sometimes the outline remains in my head, sometimes I sketch out each act in a notebook. Currently I'm trying a post-it method on my wall, and it's working beautifully.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?
57 Lives is a time travel story, so the hardest part was building a world that obeyed specific time travel laws. (Time travel might be the absolute hardest genre to write. It'll break your brain more than once.) Also, when Alex travels back in time, there's a lot of research that goes into each historical time period in order to present them accurately. I'm always afraid I'll get some tiny detail completely wrong. The easiest parts were the contemporary scenes when Alex is at home or at school. Alex is a lot like me — a tech geek loner chick — so having her navigate her present day life flowed easily. Even though I love the sci-fi and historical elements of the book, in some ways I love Alex's contemporary scenes the most.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I'm almost always working on YABooksCentral.com, running book giveaways, promoting authors, and creating book haul videos. YABC has been around since 1998 (!!!) so the traffic is huge and managing it is a 24/7 gig. When I'm not working on YABC, you can find me reading, plowing through TV seasons in my jammies, going to movies (I'm addicted to movie-theater popcorn), camping on remote islands, road tripping (cars + travel = WIN), and waxing poetic about all things coffee.

Finish the sentence
1. The difference between fiction and reality is the author gets to decide the outcome. When you write, you get to decide how characters respond to each other and how they react to certain situations. You can tie the ending up in a nice pink bow or you can leave it messy and scarred. In reality, however, you can never know what's going on in someone else's head. You can never know how they'll react to some stupid thing you've said. You'll never be in full control, and you'll never know how things will end. That makes reality infinitely more fascinating and dangerous, but also makes fiction infinitely more fun. You get to build an entire world, then tear it down, then build it back up again. It's a safe place to cause destruction.

2. Research is what I'm doing when I'm learning about a new time period or culture for 57 Lives. In the book, Alex is a reincarnated soul, so she's lived in many historical time periods throughout the years. When she goes back in time to explore those lives, I want those scenes to be real. I want the reader to feel like they've stepped into a speakeasy in 1927 Chicago, or on a steam train in 1876 Missouri, or slid into the driver's seat of a Corvette cruising through Cincinnati in 1961. But when I think about it, I'm always researching. Living your life, getting out there, meeting people, having adventures — that in and of itself is a wealth of research for novels. (I also consider binge TV and film watching very important research.)

3. I can write better when I have coffee. I don't need to drink it necessarily, I just need a warm mug in my hands, steam rising to my chin. I need quiet, usually, and something pretty to look at out the window. I also need to be alone. I like to work out conversations between my characters aloud, and I feel pretty silly doing that in front of others. I used to do it as a kid, walking around the farm carrying on conversations with people who weren't there, which led to a lot of teasing from my older brother. So... yeah. Alone is preferred.

4. Sleep is an excellent way to recharge those plotting muscles. Sometimes you dive too deep into a story and can't find your way out. Sleep always gives you a fresh perspective in the morning. You get to come up for air.

5. A room without a book is bland. Books make the best decor. Plus, the more books you have on display, the more intelligent you'll seem to others, which equals twelvity-five bonus smarty pants points.

Books
Cover of The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare was first revealed on YABC!
  
Title: The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare (Alex Wayfare #1)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Released Date: March 6, 2014 (UK) | March 4, 2014 (US)
Add to Goodreads TBR List
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Synopsis:

One girl. Fifty-seven lives. Endless ways to die.

For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.
Giveaway !!!
The Rules:
  • Open Internationally 
  • Must be 13+ to enter
  • Winners will be notified via email
  • A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
  • Use the Rafflecopter to enter. I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
  • Contest ends March 6, 2014
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Books for YA! © 2015