Mundie Moms

Friday, June 24, 2011

Book Review - Summer's Crossing

Written by: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: June 1, 2011
Source: Free download available through Harlequin Teen
5 out of 5 stars - In short, it's Puckalicious. A must read for Iron Fey fans.


Synopsis (from publisher):  A Midsummer's Nightmare?

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.

Puck and Ash are two of my favorite literary BFFs/frenemies/buddies. I can't even put a label on them but, I adore reading their banter. Here's a sample from the very beginning of Summer's Crossing:

   "So," I said brightly, " falling into step behind the brooding prince, "Grimalkin. We're going to find him, right?"
   "Yes."
   "Any idea where he is?"
   "No."
   "Any idea where to start looking?"
   "No."
   "You do realize that doesn't constitute much of a plan, right ice-boy?"
   He turned to glare at me, which I considered a small triumph. Ash usually ignored my goading. Anytime I could poke through his icy indifference was a victory. Of course, when poking at the Winter prince, one had to proceed with caution. There was a fine line between irritation and having icicles hurled at your face.

I loved this story because it provides a perfect pause between the two larger plot-lines in The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight. In Summer's Crossing, our two heroes get sidetracked by a small favor which is called in by a certain person neither one can refuse. The mini-quest they go on is full of action and witty conversations but most of all, it's filled with insights into Ash's and Puck's long-standing friendship. And with the two of them, the threat of betrayal is always strong, leaving the reader unsure of what will happen next.

My only complaint is that I wanted more. I wanted to see more of them together fighting each other as well as their common enemies. The good news is that The Iron Knight will be released in a mere four months (October 25th) so my wait won't be too long. If you haven't downloaded it (for free!) from Harlequin Teen be sure to do so quickly; our hot, sweltering weather makes this a perfect time to read about a Winter prince's adventure in the Summer Court.

ALA in New Orleans, June 24th- 26th

Nope we're not there, but we wish were, and we can't wait to hear about everyone's experience there. There's a huge line up of fabulous authors who will be there including CASSIE! Yes, this makes us more jealous of those who get to go spend time with her.

Tomorrow, Saturday June 25th, Cassie will be at these two events:

* 2:30 pm Cassie will be at the Exhibit Hall @ the Library Reading Stage.

* Tomorrow night at 5:30 both Cassie and Ellen Hopkins will be at Octavia Books.
513 Octavia St
New Orleans, LA
70115

Be sure to go HERE for all the information for ALA, including the schedule, events, the exhibit all information and more. To all who are there, have a wonderful time and safe travels.

Book Review & Giveaway- Cryptic Cravings

Vampire Kisses 8: Cryptic Cravings

By Ellen Schreiber
Published by Harper Teen
Released on May 17th, 2011
Source- Book from publisher to review

The morbidly monotonous Dullsville has finally become the most exciting place on earth now that Raven is madly in love with her hot vampire boyfriend Alexander, and a crew of vampires has taken residence in Dullsville's old mill. Raven discovers Jagger's plan to open a new club, The Crypt, right here in Dullsville. But is it her dream come true, or her worst nightmare? Raven and Alexander have to figure out what the nefarious vampire has in store for Dullsville's teen and vampire population. Can Raven convince Jagger to listen to her plans to make the Crypt the morbidly magnificent dance club it could be? Will it be safe for mortals and vampires alike?

And as Sebastian and Luna's relationship heats up, Raven wonders about her own amorous fate: Will Alexander ever turn her? Does he crave her and does he want to spend eternity together? And what does she really want?

Being the 8th book in the series, and the first one I've read I feel like I've missed really getting to know the characters, but there's enough of a story line that I didn't feel lost as to was going on, or who was who. Raven, the story's main character seems like a very accepting, open minded, fearless character. I mean she hangs out with vampires and wants nothing more than her vampire boyfriend to turn her so she can be with him forever. The only thing that bothered me about her was how immature I felt her voice was for the story. I'm still trying to figure out her and Alexander's relationship. Alexander seems like a great character and someone who really loves Raven, but I can't figure out if Raven really loves him or loves him because he's a vampire. However, I liked the fact that both of them are very supportive of each other, and work through their misunderstandings.

I can't speak for the series, but Cryptic Cravings is a very character driven plot, which makes it a light, fun, read. Much of this story is centered on a new club being opened and the worries and fears about new vampires coming to town, because a club would be opened for humans and one for vampires. I'm the type of reader who feels engaged with a book when there's a bit of action or suspense, both of which this story doesn't have. I was also a little confused about Raven not being able to make up her mind about the club. She was against it, then was supportive of it, then changed her mind again before she and Alexander decided to support it. There are a few character twists and even an introduction of a new one for the next book. Even though I've not read the series to really get to know Trevor, I felt I got a pretty good idea about the type of character he is just from reading this book, and I like that twist Ellen throws in with him and Raven.

With everything that happens at the end at the book with the characters, I'm a bit curious as to what Alexander's sister will throw into the mix with the next book. My only guess is chaos will ensue with everyone. Over all Cryptic Cravings is clean cut, fast paced, light read.
____________________________________

As part of The Dark Days of Summer Tour, I was able to meet Ellen when she was in Austin and she graciously signed this hard copy of the book for us to giveaway. To enter, please fill out the form below:
* This is open to everyone
* You must be 13 yrs & older to enter
* 1 entry per person/per email

Interview with Illusions author, Aprilynne Pike

We've enjoyed being apart of The Dark Days of Supernatural Tour and having the oppturnity to interview many of the authors who were on the tour. Today we have Illusions author, Aprilynne Pike with us. First, here's a little bit about Illusions, the third book in the Wings series.

Illusions
Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail (you can read my review here).

Aprilynne Pike

I loved that Illusions is both Laurel and Tamani's point of view. Do you find it's easier to write from two different point of views or harder?
Some of both. Getting the feel of another narrator’s voice took some time, but I already knew Tamani so well anyway, that it didn’t take too long. The fun part was that I could finally show the reader some of what happens when Laurel is not around. I also enjoyed developing the relationship between Shar (who is extremely reserved) and Tamani in a way that simply could not have happened with Laurel looking on.

In Illusions we get to see a little more of Avalon's lore. What do you enjoy the most when it comes to creating your own unique world for the series?
I like coming up with something that is new and unique, but has definite stakes in the familiar. Twisting Arthurian legends with traditional faerie lore and then twisting even more to make it something completely unique was very fun! In additional, being able to create a fairly traditional medieval-ish society in Avalon totally harkened back to my little-girl-reading-faerie-tales days!

I liked seeing a different side to both Tamani and David in Illusions. We're still a divided team on who we think Laurel should pick. What is one thing you admire about both Tamani and David in Illusions?
David is so loyal. No matter what, he is always on Laurel’s side. He’s not incredibly dashing or dangerous, but no matter what, he will have Laurel’s back.

Tamani is more dreamy. He’s larger than life. He represents a dream to Laurel—a world that is outside of how she normally lives. (Even with her extraordinary life!) Because of that, one of the things I really enjoyed about writing Illusions is that he had to tone things down and be “normal” in order to blend in to Laurel’s world.

If you could pick one character from a favorite book of yours and write them into your series, who would you pick and why? What seasonal faerie would you make them?
I adore Fred and George from the Harry Potter series. (And yes, I am counting them as one person here.:D) Possibly the only characters I can think of who would be more fun to write than Chelsea. They are cocky and funny and find something to laugh at in every situation. And with all of their tricks and diversions they would, of course, have to be Summer faeries!!

There are a lot of great releases this year. What book or books are you most looking forward to reading?
Well, as an author I am lucky enough to get ARCs of a lot of the books I want to read, so perhaps a better answer is what should YOU be looking forward to reading!:D

Divergent by Veronica Roth just came out and I really enjoyed that one, Variant by Robison Wells is coming out this Fall and I adored it! I haven’t managed to get an ARC of The Death Cure by James Dashner yet, but since we will both be at an event this weekend, I suspect some arm-twisting will occur. I am also looking forward to The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon, a book that was discovered on Inkpop.com, Harper Collins’ site for aspiring authors.
___________________________________

Thank you Aprilynne for being with us today! Be sure to follow Aprilynne on her blog, to keep with her latest news. Stop by The Dark Days of Supernatural page to grab your widgets, read chapter excerpts and more.

Blogger Cookbook Blog Tour

Today is the launch of a cookbook we had the opportunity to be apart of called, The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook, compiled by Christy Dorrity. We not only have Christy with us today to talk about the book, we also wanted to share a little bit about what this unique cookbook has to offer.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook has 25 different book reviewers from every corner of the blogosphere. It bridges the gap between author and reader—putting you in touch with book reviewers who can separate the 5 star books from the mediocre.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook showcases great reads and provides an interactive experience with links to author and book reviewer websites. The cookbook is created for those who like to experience what they read long after they’ve closed the book.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook tells why each recipe complements its companion book. Recipes and books combine to make the reading experience satisfying and entertaining. (quoted from the book bloggers cookbook site)


I wanted to create a blog where I could combine my loves of food and books. Attaching a recipe to each book review just came as a natural extension of what I love and I soon found cooking a food that complemented the books I read to be extremely fulfilling. When I realized that my first blogoversary was coming up, I decided to compile a recipe book from my blog. When I began forming the idea, I realized that my own reviews looked a bit lonely and I asked some fellow bloggers to participate. I am convinced that book bloggers will continue to become a larger resource for readers and I love connecting readers to book reviewers.

What's one recipe you've seen submitted that you can't wait to make?
All of the recipes in the cookbook came from my experiences with the featured books. I took recipes and tweaked them to make them my own, matching them to my favorite reads for the year. I love all of the recipes included in the cookbook, but right now I would be in the mood for Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Who's your favorite YA author?
Boy that is really a tough one. I'm very impressed with the Hunger Games series and I think that Suzanne Collin's books will be classics. I've been a huge fan of The Dark Divine series by Bree Despain and The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Steivfater. It's hard to pin down even a handful. Every author whose book is included in the cookbook is a favorite of mine.

What's one YA book you're looking forward to reading this year?
I look forward to reading Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I am not a huge sci-fi fan but I am liking the crossover books that are cropping up and I am interested to see where Revis takes her novel.
_________________________________________________

Thank you Christy for being with us today! I've not yet had the chance to look through the cookbook, but I'm looking forward to seeing it. To find out more about the Book Bloggers Cookbook, including which authors are featured, which blogs participated in this year's book and where to buy the book at, please go here here

**If you leave a comment, you'll automatically be entered to win a Kindle that Christy is giving away on her site linked above**

Labels