Release Me (Cover Reveals #3)

Just like our last two Release Me cover posts, we're focusing on some upcoming novels that recently had their covers revealed. Hopefully this post will get you excited about these books and maybe you'll even discover a few you hadn't heard about before. All links go to goodreads so you can find out more about these titles and easily add them to your "to-read" pile. :D

~New Girl by Paige Harbison

RD: January 31th, 2012 from Harlequin Teen

~Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
RD: April 24th, 2012 from Walker & Company

~Life Is But A Dream by Brian James

RD: March 27th, 2012 from Feiwel & Friends

~The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin

RD: February 28th 2012 by Arthur A. Levine Books

~Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
RD: May 8th, 2012 from Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR

~Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn
RD: June 14th, 2012 from Viking Publishing

~The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

RD: February 12th, 2012 from EgmontUSA

~Soul Screamers Vol. 1 by Rachel Vincent

RD: November 11th, 2011 from Harlequin Teen

~A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
RD: April 1st, 2012 from Kensington

~Ladies in Waiting by Laura L. Sullivan
RD: May 8th, 2012 from Harcourt Children's Books

Had you already seen or heard about all of these books? Which covers do you like best? Which ones have you the most excited? Sound off below!

Mini Reviews: Matched & The Body Finder

Carrie’s Mini Reviews

Matched by Ally Condie – 4 HEARTS

Matched is a dystopian novel where people have been stripped of their right to choose basically. Everything is pre-determined for them based on their ideal needs/skills. They are told what to eat, what to read, where to work, whom to marry and at what age to die. Of course you have a nice calm society when no one questions to think for themselves… or do you?

Cassia is the main character and happily awaits the big reveal of her pre-determined “match”. She couldn’t be happier with the result until she learns there could have been a mistake and another “match” might have really been the ideal one. But the Society doesn’t make mistakes, or do they? Now armed with this knowledge she starts to see her world in a whole different light.

I enjoyed the world that Ally created. I found it an interesting concept to ponder, how things would be if our choices were taken away from us. Are their lives better; more peaceful…is ignorance bliss?

I also thought the characters Ally created were interesting. Cassia had a strong voice and I felt the emotion behind her choices. To be so young and have your belief system change so suddenly, you can’t help but feel for the girl. The boys were intriguing characters as well. Ky was more so for me than Xander but Xander had some surprises up his sleeve. I was definitely drawn to Ky’s character but how can you not be curious about the guy with the mysterious background. I have to be honest and say I’m a little tired of the whole love triangle thing but this one was pivotal to the story so I’ll let it slide. Plus, who wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of these two guys? Just saying.

She did end it a bit abruptly for me. Just when things started to crumble and secrets were revealed it was over. The ending definitely left me wanting more. So I can't wait to read Crossed!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting – 4 HEARTS

The Body Finder had me sucked in by the very first page. It had a creepy and disturbing villain, suspense, a hauntingly beautiful setting, a budding romance and more.

Violet was an intriguing character with her special ability to sense the dead thru “echoes”. She was a likable character that was easy to relate to, even with her unusual talent. Thankfully she had her best friend Jay to help her feel normal. What can I say about Jay? Jay is perfect, although I have to admit I have a soft spot in my heart for boys named Jay. He was deliciously charming, funny and always there for Violet when she needed him. I thoroughly enjoyed watching their relationship blossom and grow. Even though I cringed when they wouldn’t tell each other how they really felt, the exchanges felt real and not forced to me. I thought Violet’s sidekicks where fun and added a light touch of humor to the book that helped balance out some of the creep factor.

The book definitely revolves more around the romance element than the mystery surrounding the killer. I thought that the back and forth POV between Violet and the killer was interesting but I wish we were given a suspect pool to try and figure out who the killer was. I think it would have helped solidify the murder mystery aspect more.

Even so I enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. Kimberly’s writing style is effortless and the pacing was perfect. Once you start turning the pages it’s virtually impossible to stop.

Shannon's In My Mailbox #28

Hey its my newest IMM post! I'm currently in the middle of a book buying ban to save money for the Decatur Book Festival so I don't have that much to show. Books were received between August 18th-28th.

In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi@ The Story Siren, its purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library, borrowed, and bought books.

Borrowed:

~Tempest by Julie Cross

(Thanks so much to Jess @ Gone with the Words for letting me borrow her ARC!)

 

For Review:

~The Predicteds by Christine Seifert

~Eyes in the Mirror by Julia Mayor

~Reasons to Be Happy by Katrina Kittle

~The Cupid War by Timothy Carter (signed finished copy)

(Thanks to Sourcebooks publishing & author Timothy Carter for the review books)

That's it for me! What did you all get in your mailbox?

Review: Glow

Need to Know Info:

Title: Glow
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Format: Hardcover, 307 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: September 13th, 2011
Rating: 2 out of 5 HEARTS

ARC received for Review from St. Martin's Griffin

Synopsis from Goodreads
 A ship heading for New Earth is halfway through its incredible journey across the galaxy. On board, sixteen-year-olds Waverly and Kieran are part of the first generation born in space. They are in love. They believe their future is written in the stars. They have never seen a stranger before...

...until the day they are wrenched apart and suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives.

Shannon's Always Spoiler-Free* Review (*unless otherwise noted)
At the start of the novel I really thought I was going to love it. The premise sounded cool and I was in the mood for something Sci-Fi/Dystopian, however the novel just didn't meet my expectations.

There were a few things I did enjoyed about the novel, like the alternating POV's between Waverly and Kieran. This allows you to keep up with both characters throughout novel. I also liked how intense and action packed the storyline is because it makes the novel pretty impossible to put down.

While Waverly is a strong, brave female protagonist, her male counterparts can't equal her strength and vulnerability. Kieran & Seth never felt fully fleshed out to me. Kieran seemed one dimensional and with the exception of his relationship with Waverly, wasn't all that interesting. On the other hand Seth's personality was all over the place, as if the author never really decided what kind of person she wanted him to be. Besides having personality issues I also felt his character was incredibly underused.

I continually struggled with the likeability of all 3 characters while reading. By the end of the novel I was beyond frustrated by the decisions each of them had made, especially the ones they make right before the novel closes.

Religion plays a heavy role in the novel, something I wasn't aware of when I started. What bothered me most about this, wasn't its inclusion but how it was treated. Sometimes I felt that the author/story was praising Christianity and then other times it seemed as if it was being referred to it as a cult. Yeah I was confused too... It felt like the author was truly trying to deliver a message but for the life of me, I couldn't tell you what it was. Religion causes war? Politics are corrupt? No idea!

Although it read a bit like an episode of Battlestar Galactica (which to me is a good thing), with its similar location, intensity and conflicted characters, I wanted much more depth and backstory from the main trio. I would have preferred less talk of religion and politics too, especially because its used as such a heavy plot devise and one that constantly feels too forceful. There were also quite a few instances where I could see a twist coming well before it actually happened, leaving me disappointed by the novels predictability.

As a fan of Sci-Fi, I just can't hide my disappointment that the novel wasn't what I was hoping for.

Friday Five: Top Books We've Read this Year

Today we're trying something new on the blog. My sister & I thought it would be fun to showcase some fabulous 5's on this fine Friday.

Shannon & I have decided to show off our 5 favorite books we've read so far this year. Then we enlisted the help of our kiddos to showcase their (current) 5 favorite bedtime stories. We thought adding the kids favs would be a fun addition and a special shout out for all you fabulous mom's out there. Hope you enjoy our lists!

Carrie's Top 5 books she's read this year:

#5 - The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

#4 - Jane by April Lindner

#3 - A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

#2 - The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

#1 - Divergent by Veronica Roth

Shannon's Top 5 books she's read this year:

#5 - The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

#4 - Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

#3 - Divergent by Veronica Roth

#2 - Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

#1 - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

(Carrie's son) D's Top 5 Bedtime Stories:

#5 - The Mess Detectives: The Trouble With Larry by Doug Peterson

#4 - Skippyjon Jones, Class Action by Judy Schachner

#3 - Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort

#2 - Charlie's Superhero Underpants by Paul Bright

#1 - Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort

(Shannon's daughter) LA's Top 5 Bedtime Stories:

#5 - If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff

#4 - Bear's New Friend by Karma Wilson

#3 -The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

#2 -My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

#1 - Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor

What are your favorite books of the year? And if you have kids what are their favorite bedtime stories?

Author Interview w/ Victoria Schwab & Near Witch Launch Party Recap

Author Interview:

Victoria Schwab is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."
 
Victoria loves fairy tales, folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems. Her debut novel The Near Witch was just released this month from Disney Hyperion and she currently resides in Nashville TN, where she's very busy writing more stories.

Q&A

Shel Silverstein

STB: The Near Witch easily reads like a familiar fairy tale or urban legend, so I'm wondering if those were your favorite kinds of stories growing up?

VS: I grew up with the rhymes of Shel Silverstein and the fairy tales of Grimm. The things being soaked up by my young little mind were equal parts lovely and morbid. ;)

STB: I really enjoyed the timeless atmosphere within The Near Witch. Why did you choose to write it with no clear sense of time or place and did it make writing the novel more difficult?

VS: Making Near timeless proved immensely difficult. So many minute details will date a place/book. I made it timeless because I wanted to write a fairy tale, and in my mind that is one of the key aspects of a fairy tale. To me, what separates a fairy tale from fantasy is execution, and the feel of the book, both in terms of time and place, are vital to that.

STB: Your main character Lexi has a fierce spirit and kind heart. How much, if any, of your own personality is in Lexi?

VS: I think Lexi and I are both stubborn, observant, and intensely loyal to those we love.

STB: What, if anything, can you tell us about your upcoming novel The Archived?

VS: All I can say about The Archived right now is that it's kind of like Buffy meets The Shining meets If I Stay. With a library. Needless to say I'm very, very excited. Assuming I survive edits.

STB: What other projects are you currently working on?

VS: I am working on several things I'm not allowed to talk about, which is never fun.

STB: What's the last YA book you read and which one are you dying to read?

VS: I just finished up A Million Suns, the sequel to Across the Universe by Beth Revis, and it was DELICIOUS.

As far as what I'm looking forward to, I'd says The Pledge, Incarnate, Everneath, and Fracture are up there.

STB: You just finished the Ash2Nash tour w/ Myra McEntire & Beth Revis so what's your favorite and least favorite thing about touring? And what's the one thing you learned from it?

VS: My favorite thing was getting to spend time with two of my favorite people, and meet people who had already read or were excited to read TNW! It's still so trippy to me that people are out there with the book. My least favorite part was a little glitch at one of the tour stops where the store didn't get copies of the book in on time, but it happens. One thing I've learned from it is not to let Beth sign next to me, because she spends the whole time trying to make me mess up someone's name :p

STB: What are your favorite things to do when your not reading or writing?

VS: Exercise is very important to me, a large portion of my sanity, I'd say. Also, I'm a complete movie whore. I go every chance I get.

STB: If I gave you a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

VS: I'd go to Japan. It's one of the places I haven't been yet, and I'm absolutely enamored with Eastern philosophy and religion. I'd want to do a tour of the Shinto temples.

I want to thank Victoria so much for taking the time to answer all our questions and for being so supportive of this blog.  

Read Shannon's Review of The Near Witch

Buy a Copy of The Near Witch

Book Depository / Amazon / B&N

TNW Launch Party Recap

On Saturday August 13th, I (Shannon) was lucky enough to attend Victoria's Near Witch launch party in Nashville. The launch was held at a small art gallery and I loved getting to admire all the beautiful art on display. Being amongst so many people who were equally as excited about Victoria's novel and success, was such a joy.  It was also lovely getting to talk with her again so soon after the Ash2Nash signing. My husband, being the amazing guy he is, accompanied me to the party and even took some pics. So here's a short party recap in pictures:

The beautiful cover, protected by a Narwhal

A whole lot of Near Witches

Attendees waiting in line to buy a copy of TNW

Victoria gets chatty

In case you get hungry

The famous cake pops, which were very yummy!

Victoria's all smiles!

About to sign some books

Me (Shannon) hiding behind The Near Witch

Victoria & Me (Shannon)

Hope you all enjoyed the interview & photo recap. Feel free to leave your comments for either Victoria or us below. Thanks so much for stopping by!

"Waiting On" Wednesday #30

"Waiting On" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

What We're "Waiting On" this week...

Shannon's Pick~

THE SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: October 18th, 2011 from Scholastic Press

Synopsis from Goodreads
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

I just recently finished Forever, Maggie's last Wolves of Mercy Falls book, and I loved it. I really enjoy her writing style and think the premise to The Scorpio Races sounds incredible. Plus I've already heard so many amazing things about it.

Carrie's Pick~

CROSSED by Ally Condie
Release Date: November 1st, 2011 from Dutton Juvenile

Sequel to Matched - Synopsis not included due to spoilers.

I really enjoyed Matched and now I have to find out what happens next with Cassia, Ky & Xander. I'm super excited that Ally is kicking off her Crossed book tour right here in Salt Lake City on November 1st! Launch Party here I come!





What are you "Waiting On"?

Review: Warm Bodies

Need To Know Info:

Title:  Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion
Format: Hardcover, 241 pages
Publisher: Atria
Release Date: April 26th, 2011
Rating: 3 out of 5 HEARTS

Synopsis from Goodreads
R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn’t enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead. R yearns for a better life and ends up falling in love- with a human.

Carrie's Review

Warm Bodies is the second zombie book I have read. I’m not a big horror or zombie genre reader but I really thought the concept of this book sounding unique and interesting.

“R” is a zombie who can’t remember his name, how he became a zombie or how long he has been one. He just feels a little different than the others. He wants to speak, read and communicate his feelings but his basic urges win out and he must feed like all his fellow zombies. A strange thing happens though when he eats the brain of his latest victim, he receives vivid flashbacks of this human’s life and his feelings for the girl, Julie at his side. “R” unexpectedly feels the need to protect Julie and here begins our story.

I thought “R” was an interesting protagonist. He sets himself apart from other zombies, not just because of his appearance alone but by his thoughts and actions as well. You can’t help but feel something for him and appreciate his complex emotions. There was something bittersweet about his character that stuck with me.

The book is broken into two parts and I have to admit I struggled getting through the first half. I am just a squeamish girl I guess. I didn’t like all the details about eating people and other weird zombie habits that “R” describes while living with the horde. I felt that some things were just a bit strange and bizarre for me as well. It was interesting however that the zombies still tried to “act out”, if you will, the daily routines of their previous existence. They may not remember who they were but they still felt the basic human urges to have a partner, experience intimacy, have children, go to church and etc.

The second half of the book was more up my alley. Here we delved deeper into “R”, Julie and Perry’s relationships. We also had some exciting, suspenseful scenes that heightened the intensity level. Characters had choices to make that would change their lives and the lives of those around them. The ending was very powerful and left me feeling positive about the book.

Isaac Marion changed my idea of what a zombie book entailed. It isn’t all about blood, guts and brains. It can be deeper than that and have a positive and hopeful message. Here’s to the human spirit!

Teaser Tuesday: City of Bones & Glow

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page 
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 
• Share the Title & Author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Carrie's Teaser:

  Jace was shaking his head. “You can’t blame yourself.”

  Feeling tears gather under her eyelids, Clary pushed past Jace to the door. “I want to see where she would have gone,” she said, reaching for the door. “I want to see where she was going to escape to-“

  “Clary, no!” Jace reached for her, but her fingers had already closed around the knob. It spun rapidly under her hand, the door flying open as if she’d pushed it. Dorothea lumbered to her feet with a cry, but it was too late. Before she could even finish her sentence, Clary found herself flung forward and tumbling through empty space.

~pg. 109, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Shannon's Teaser:

  "Waverly!" It was Kieran, running toward her. "Get off the shuttle! Get off now!"
  "Let's get out of here!" the man with the scar yelled ferociously. When he saw Waverly's eyes on him, he aimed his gun at Kieran. "Do I shoot him or not?"
  There was no decision to make. She had only one choice.
  Waverly leaned on Felicity as she limped up the ramp.
  "No Waverly! she heard someone scream, not Kieran, someone else. She turned for one last look at her home and saw Seth. He stood with his hands in his hair, head bleeding, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Don't do this, Waverly!"
  She shook her head, tried to yell, "I'm sorry," but she could only make herself whisper.
  She dragged herself up the ramp behind Felicity, and then the shuttle's door closed behind her.

~pg. 43, Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan