Mundie Moms

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Cover Reveal: Entice by Jessica Shirvington

It's here! I'm excited to be apart of Source Books cover reveal for Jessica Shirvington's sequel to Embrace, Entice. Check out this awesome cover:



“Two tutors and three students from the Grigori training center in New York were arriving in two days and I couldn’t be happier.  I was going to be able to learn from the experts and have people my own age to train with, something I really needed.  I was sure with their help I would be able to get over whatever it was that had been holding me back. 

Griffin had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the two senior Grigori –the intelligence, resources and backup they could provide was much needed.  The Scripture that can decipher the identity of all Grigori, even those who have not yet embraced and are therefore defenseless, was at stake. 

I would not stand by and watch it fall into the hands of exiles.  If they found they key to destroying all Grigori and gained the upper hand, the slaughter would not stop until all the humans knelt before them, worshipping them as gods.”

Makes you want to go pick up this book now doesn't? I like how the cover reflects the darker side to this book. I can't wait to go pick this book up! You can read the 1st two chapters now, by visiting SourceBooks. 

Here’s the scoop!

Seventeen-year-old Violet Eden’s is back! With a destiny is to protect humans from the vengeance of exiled angels it becomes clear that it won’t be easy as even her partner, Lincoln, is hiding something.  And now she has to learn to live with her feelings for him while they work together to stay alive and stop the exiles from discovering the key to destroy all Grigori.  It isn’t easy. Especially when the electricity between her and  Phoenix ignites and she discovers his hold over her has become more dangerous than ever.  Violet's power will be pushed to the extreme with a race halfway across the world to find the one artifact that could tilt the balance of power between Angels and Exiles.  And the ultimate betrayal will be exposed.

Check out Jessica’s brand new video blog post where she sits down with a cup of coffee and invites us into her home.  From her favorite chair to her love of befriending characters in a series, Jessica chats with us about her perfect setting for a good read! 


Exciting News!!  Jessica Shirvington will be traveling to the U.S for a two-week national book tour for ENTICE starting September 18.  Keep an eye on www.embracetheseries.com for more details.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Box of ARCs/Books Giveaway

I've been cleaning out and reorganizing my bookcases lately and I've found I've got both published books and ARCs of the same books. I usually donate a vast majority of my books to my local children's shelter, school libraries, and publish library, but this time I wanted to do something a little different and open this up to teachers who are in need of books for their classrooms. I originally posted this on twitter asking if anyone would like some ARCs, not thinking (for some reason) I'd get a big response. To make it easier I'm listing what I have here and asking those teachers/librarians who are interested in winning some ARCs for their classroom to please fill out the form below, that way I can randomly select a few winners.

Here's what I have so far: This lists is all ARCS, some are signed, some aren't, and some are signed to Mundie Moms

  1. * Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
  2. * Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, signed
  3. * The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell, signed
  4. * Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs, signed
  5. * Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs
  6. * Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, signed to Mundie Moms
  7. * Until I Die by Amy Plum
  8. * Vanish by Sophie Jordan, signed
  9. * STARCROSSED by Josephine Angelini
  10. * DREAMLESS by Josephine Angelini
  11. * BLOODROSE by Andrea Cremer
  12. * The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
  13. * The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
  14. * Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
  15. * A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink, signed
  16. * Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
  17. * Illusions by Aprilynne Pike, signed to Mundie Moms
  18. * SPELLS by Aprilynne Pike, signed to Mundie Moms
  19. * Destined by Aprilynne Pike
  20. * Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, signed
  21. * Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, signed to Mundie Moms
  22. * Hallowed by Cynthia Hand, signed to Mundie Moms
Recently added: (I'm going to include other ARCS/books I find to this list)
  1. Always A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, arc
  2. Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay, book
  3. The Secret Sisterhood of Hearbreakers by Lynn Weingarten
  4. The Haunted by Jessica Verday, arc
  5. Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin, arc
  6. After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel, arc
  7. The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks
  8. No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz
  9. When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
  10. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
  11. Slide by Jill Hathaway
  12. The Returners by Gemma Malley
To Enter:

I'm going to be 3 winners, and possibly more, depending on how many books I end up adding to this list
* The 1st winner can select up to 10 books
* The 2nd 5 books
* The 3rd winner will get to choose 2


 The rest of my books are going to go to a charity called Libraries of Love.
  • I'm covering the US shipping costs. These books will be sent out media mail w/ delivery confirmation if they have signed books in them.
  • This is open to US residents only. However, if you do live outside of the US and want to cover your shipping costs, you're more than welcome to enter. Payment will be required via Pay Pal if you do win (for over seas winners).
  • 1 entry per person
  • This Giveaway will end on 6/18/12
  • Since I'm trying to teachers and librarians out who do so much for our kids, this giveaway is open only for them. I'll have more boxes or books and arcs to giveaway soon for everyone else. ;)


Book Review: Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs


Published by: Bloomsbury Teen
To Be Released on: June 5th, 2012
Source: ARC from publisher at TLA
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Pre-Order From: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Series: Tempest #2

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose -quoted from Goodreads

Picking up not long after Tempest Rising ends, readers will be thrust back into the vibrant under water world, rich mermaid mythology and be re-introduced to some incredibly intriguing characters. Tempest battles her inner war with wanting to be back with her family on land and claiming her rightful position in her mother's clan. If that wasn't enough, Tempest must choice between two fabulous guys she loves, Kona or Mark, and her choice might leave a few fans a little surprised by her choice. I loved Tempest Rising, and I thoroughly enjoyed Tempest Unleashed. It wasn't just the swoon worthy chemistry, the impending war, and Tempest coming into her powers, which made for a great fight scene, that held my interest with this book. Tempest herself kept me hooked with her story.

Tempest is a character I felt like I really understood in this book. Her being torn about finding her place and where she fit in with the two worlds she's now apart of made sense, as did her heart being torn on Kona and Mark. I liked how Tracy Deebs was able to allow me to understand the reasoning with Tempest's confusion and following her heart. There's time in YA books I feel like I don't understand why a character makes the choices they do, but with Tempest, Tracy puts it all out there through out the entire book, so I understood every little thing Tempest agonizes over. When the time came for her to make her choice on who she's going to be with and what she's going to do, it didn't really surprise me as much as I thought it would. I will say if Tempest reasonings hadn't been spelled out so to speak, than I would have been frustrated, but I got why she made her choice and why. 

There's some fabulous character chemistry in this book! I loved the little moments that Tempest got with both Kona and Mark. I'll admit, I've been team Kona, but Mark steps it up a bit in this book. Having both guys fight over Tempest was both comical and a little swoon worthy all at the same time. I again found myself torn on which guy I adore more for Tempest, Kona or Mark. Tempest being the strong willed girl she is and not one to let others tell her what to do, does a great job at holding her own in this book. I admire her bravery and strength to protect those she loves, both on land and below the surface. 

Tempest Unleashed provides more action, a few surprises and some great twists. There is plenty more at stake in this sequel and I'm just talking about the lurking danger. Hearts will get broken, lives will be lost, and love will be the underlying thing that drives Tempest to do the things she does. I loved diving back into Tempest world and I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series.

Don't miss my blog tour & interview with Tracy! Read all that and enter to win an ARC of Tempest Unleashed HERE.

Waiting on Wednesday: Once by Anna Carey


Published by: Harper Teen
To Be Released on: July 3rd, 2012
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Series: Eve #2


Sixteen years have passed since a deadly virus wiped out most of the Earth’s population. After learning of the terrifying part she and her classmates were fated to play in the rebuilding of New America, eighteen-year-old Eve fled to the wilds and Califia, a haven for women determined to live outside the oppressive rule of the king of New America. However, her freedom came at a price: she was forced to leave Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. Eve quickly learns that Califia may not be as safe as it seems and soon finds herself in the City of Sand and the palace of the king. There she uncovers the real reason he was so intent on her capture, and the unbelievable role he intends her to fill. When she is finally reunited with Caleb, they will enact a plan as daring as it is dangerous. But will Eve once again risk everything—her freedom, her life—for love?

Brimming with danger and star-crossed romance, and featuring a vivid dystopian landscape, this electrifying follow-up to Eve, which bestselling author Lauren Kate called “a gripping, unforgettable adventure—and a fresh look at what it means to love” is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes adventure of The Hunger Games and the irresistible love story of Romeo and Juliet -quoted from Goodreads

I really enjoyed Eve, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Anna does with her characters in this book. The ending of Eve left me a little worried about what will happen between Caleb and Eve. I can't wait to jump back into this story. I'll have my review for Once up on the blog in the coming weeks. I can't wait to talk about this sequel with you guys.

What book are you waiting on?

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Unidentified Snippet



“I don’t know why I ever helped you.”
“Because you like broken things.” 

Blog Tour/Book Review: Point of Origin by Amanda Havard


My second post in today's The Survivors: Point of Origin blog tour is my review for Amanda's sophomore book, and sequel to The Survivors (you can read my review here). You can read my guest post and enter to win a signed copy of both books, as well as enter to an iPod nano on my first tour post here

Published by: Chafie Press LLC
To Be Released on: June 12th, 2012
Source: Signed ARC from author at ALA-midwinter
3.5 stars: I Enjoyed It/ It's A Good Read
Pre-Order from: Amazon 
Add to Goodreads

The winter is upon us. The Survivors are in chaos. The war is coming.
One year ago, Sadie Matthau was living among humans, existing as one of them. But now she wakes each morning in a house in the Survivors City, listening to the invocations and insults of her family members as they cope with their new future. A war. Rogue abandoners turned monsters. Sadie and the icy Winters living in their midst, bringing the outside world in.
The Survivors: Point of Origin is Sadie s quest to save her family. But can she find what she is looking for when she can barely stomach the Winters wintry demeanor and finds herself distracted by Cole Hardwick s warm heart? Will she be able to uncover her family s history even as the elders grip tightens around her throat? In an action packed ride full of magic and misery, terror and triumph, Sadie Matthau seeks the Survivors beginning just in time to face her end. -quoted from Amanda's site
Thinking I'd get many of the questions I had after finishing The Survivors answered, I picked this book immediately after finishing it and was surprising thrown further into Amanda's incredibly intriguing paranormal world. Amanda doesn't tread lightly with this sequel. She throws in more twists, uncovers more secrets and introduces readers to a few new characters who end up playing some big roles in this series. The romance, the action, and the impending war added uncertainty and a little bit suspense to the series. I liked being able to get a more in-depth look into the role the Salem Witch trials play in this series, and particularly in Sadie's life, as well as getting to understand more of the paranormal lore through Sadie's research.

Sadie's constant curiosity and need for answers leads to some extremely interesting finds. I loved feeling like I was getting what was going on at the same time she was. Without Sadie there'd be a lot big pieces missing from the complex puzzle that's behind the impending war. Despite Sadie's book smarts, this time around I was surprised with how much Sadie irritated me. Don't get me wrong, she's still a good character, but I got frustrated with the way she handles some "situations" in this book. I get that she uncovers a lot, and finds out some surprising secrets, but her running off when things got hard really got on my nerves. I felt she regressed a bit as a character during those scenes. Then there's time I felt like I understood her struggle with trying to fit in w/ her immortal family and that of wanting nothing to do with them and wanting to be in the human world. I got how that effected her and some of the choices she makes. I as a reader understood the war that was constantly going on in her head over who she is and what her heart really wants.

The character chemistry definitely heats up in this book. I seriously love Everett! He's definitely won me over, and I admire him for fighting his true nature to make things work with Sadie. His protectiveness and overall concern for her is admirable and at the same time a little over protective, but given Everett's nature it's understandable. Again, I adore Everett's family as well. His brother Mark is another fabulous character I liked seeing more of in this book. I was surprised to see the role that Cole continues to play in this book, and I couldn't laugh out loud over a scene with him, Everett, Mark and Sadie. Cole is again that southern gentleman I first met in The Survivors, and he definitely brings something different to the table for Sadie.

I'm not really sure what I was excepting with this sequel, but I certainly wasn't excepting some of the events that took place to happen. Getting to dig deeper into Sadie's family's lore, seeing how the characters grow and changed, and how all the twists and secrets fit into the over all complex mystery that's behind all that's going on in this sequel was definitely engaging and kept me glued to the pages of this book. I wanted to know more. Amanda definitely brought out a few emotions from me I wasn't excepting to have towards a few characters. I might have mentally yelled at a few characters for doing some of the things they do. Again, there's characters you'll love and characters you're going to love to hate in this series. Amanda does a great job at giving them each a purpose in this book. That ending killed me and now I'm wishing I had book 3 in my hands. I need more answers!

The Survivors: Point of Origin Blog Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway



I'm thrilled to be kicking off Amanda Havard's The Survivors: Point of Origin blog tour. I had the privilege of meeting Amanda at ALA-Midwinter and I have to say, she's fabulous! If you ever get the chance to meet her, I highly recommend doing so. I'm even more excited to have her on the blog today! Along with Amanda's guest post, I'm giving away a signed copy of both of her books, along with an iPod nano fully loaded with both of her playlists!




Should you find yourself on my Facebook fan page and wonder about my personal interests, this is the list you’d find:


Other than writing? Alternate forms of storytelling. Music, music, music. Reading. Style and the world of fashion. Pilates. Cars. Cooking. Obscure mythology. Comic book heroes. The back table at Fido. Nashville, Tennessee. Edgy European luxe magazines. Abstract or pop-art interpretations of red roses (a la Valentino). Moleskine notebooks. Talking. Listening. Technology. Rule-breaking. Sunglasses. Thai food. Runway photographs. Oaxaca and the odd beauty of El Dia de los Muertos. The Pacific Ocean (more specifically, the Monterey Bay). Red lipstick. Buying more books than I have time to read. Theories of education and human development. People-watching. Blurring the line between fantasy and reality.

Blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Or as someone recently put it in an article they wrote about me, somewhere between reality and fiction. That one gets me. I don’t totally recall when I wrote that as I am sure it was somewhere in the madness of revising a book and getting it ready to share with the world — also known as giving a sizeable slice of your heart away — but I guess I love the honesty. Those are all the things that interest me most in the world, and if you’ve read either of the Survivors books, then you know those are things that interest my characters too. (Okay, maybe nobody does Pilates, but other than that.) The places I love are the places they live. The powers they have are the ones I found most interesting in comic books and supernatural stories growing up. Their signatures are things I’d notice on someone. We share a common bond.


It’s not that I can’t write characters whose lives are so different from my own or whose interests are so opposite mine so much as it is that I choose not to. At some point not too long ago, something must have switched on in my brain. I was likely asleep at the time — or should have been — but there came a point when I started letting the fringes of my own reality give way to the fiction that lives in my brain. It is the best choice I have ever made.


In 2009, when I wrote The Survivors in an infamous 27-days-while-in-grad-school, Sadie took hold of my soul. I’m not sure if it’s when I decided to put her in a wedding in Tupelo that I, myself, had just been in or perhaps when I decided to give her a Twitter account — and started using it — that I let go and became her, but somewhere in that summer, it happened. And after her, it was every other character. Their obsessions and guilty pleasures, their bullheadedness and their charm, their fashion and footwear, it all became a part of my life. Now it’s not to say I never liked Audi R8s or Burberry Prorsum leather jackets before, but since Mark did I loved them like they were a part of me. Like I had reason to. And it’s not to say that I wasn’t highly interested in obscure and obvious mythology alike before Sadie, but since she had a need to know more, suddenly I did too. My stories and my self have merged into one being. And ever since we produced an interactive story app of The Survivors, even my means of storytelling and my self have merged. We are one inseparable piece now, the story and I, and so you take us all or nothing.

It is no wonder that I now do the talking as six Survivors characters on Twitter, and have for years. I am, they are… one in the same.

Years ago, I read a Sylvia Plath quote that went like this, “I write because there is a voice within me that will not be still.” This couldn’t be truer of me. I don’t want to write; I have to. I don’t hope to tell stories; they tell themselves in my mind. I’m one of those writers who lives and breathes it, whose story doesn’t ever leave her mind. I have decided to live fully invested in a world that is similar to my own but isn’t. I am not afraid of embracing the way the world brings me the story, and I am always grateful. 

I don’t think what I’m doing is particularly special or even unique. No, instead, I can just tell I’m someone who’s let go and is unafraid of what madness my mind might conjure. I am simply someone who likes to live in the fantasy space between my life and the ones I create. I pay attention to the world around me, let my everyday interests influence my writing and my writing influence my everyday interests. And when I stop and wonder about something, I wonder about it through the lens of every fictional character rolling around in my head. And why wouldn’t I? I want to be them, don’t I? How else would I tell a story in their voices?

There’s a bit of madness living this way, but I hope it shows in my stories in the best way imaginable. This is my life now. The life of a storyteller.

I’ll leave you with one more now, a quote from the tragically talented Alexander McQueen that has become something of a mantra for me.


“There is no way back for me now. I am going to take you

on journeys you’ve never dreamed were possible.”





THE SURVIVORS (Book 1) Synopsis:
In 1692, when witch trials gripped the community of Salem, Massachusetts, twenty-six children were accused as witches, exiled, and left for dead. Fourteen of them survived.
The Survivors is the first installment of the tantalizing tales of the fourteen ill-fated Survivors and their descendants, who have been content in hiding for over three centuries. Isolated on a Montana mountainside, only Sadie, the rogue daughter, dares to abandon the family’s sacred hiding place. But no matter how far Sadie runs, something always pulls her back.
On a muggy summer night in Tennessee, she witnesses a shocking scene that will change her life forever. It is the first in a sequence of events that will drag her from the human world she’s sought to belong to for over a century and send her back to her Puritanical family and into an uncertain future filled with cunning witches, mysterious nosferatu shape-shifters, dangerous eretica and vieczy vampires, millennia-old mythology, and the search for her own mortality. After all…
How do you kill a Survivor?
The Survivors will steal your heart and invade your mind. Fall into the pages of Sadie’s life, a world so frighteningly similar to your own, you’ll find yourself wanting to go to the Montana mountains to find the Survivors for yourself.
And it is only the beginning...

POINT OF ORIGIN Synopsis:
The winter is upon us. The Survivors are in chaos. The war is coming. One year ago, Sadie Matthau was living among humans, existing as one of them. But now she wakes each morning in a house in the Survivors City, listening to the invocations and insults of her family members as they cope with their new future. A war. Rogue abandoners turned monsters. Sadie and the icy Winters living in their midst, bringing the outside world in. The Survivors: Point of Origin is Sadie's quest to save her family. But can she find what she is looking for when she can barely stomach the Winters wintry demeanor and finds herself distracted by Cole Hardwick's warm heart? Will she be able to uncover her family's history even as the elders grip tightens around her throat? In an action packed ride full of magic and misery, terror and triumph, Sadie Matthau seeks the Survivors beginning just in time to face her end.

Immersedition: 
Chafie Creative released the Immersedition, a revolutionary app for Fiction, in which THE SURVIVOR SERIES by Amanda Havard was the pilot edition. More than a regular or even enhanced eBook, the Immersedition was crafted specifically to embrace the possibilities of interactivity inside a novel. You can see more about the Immersedition HERE.
Amanda and Music:
Not only a brilliant writer, Amanda Havard is a musician and songwriter and has written several original songs which are on each book's soundtrack. You can see the videos of three of the songs HERE.

Author Bio:
Amanda Havard has been telling stories since before she could write. She grew up in Dallas, Texas, where her first book was published in her elementary school library at age 7. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Vanderbilt University. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her baby grand piano and more story ideas than she could tell in one lifetime.
Links:
Amanda's Website: Http://amandahavard.com
Follow Amanda on Twitter: @AmandaHavard
Follow Amanda on Facebook: Amanda Havard
Follow THE SURVIVOR SERIES on Facebook: The Survivors
The Giveaway:

Thank you to Amanda, I have a signed copy of both of Amanda's books I'm giving away, The Survivors and Point of Origin, along with an iPod Nano fully loaded with the soundtracks from books 1 & 2. 

To enter, please fill out the form below.
- 1 entry per person
- US & Canadian residents only
- Must be 13 yrs & older to enter (under are required to have a parent/guardian's permission)
- This giveaway will end on June 19th, 2012

Book Review: The Survivors by Amanda Havard


Published by: Chafie Press LLC
Released on: March 29th, 2011
Source: signed arc from author at ALA-Midwinter
4 stars: I Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
Add to Goodreads

In 1692, when witch trials gripped the community of Salem, Massachusetts, twenty-six children were accused as witches, exiled, and left for dead. Fourteen of them survived.
The Survivors is the first installment of the tantalizing tales of the fourteen ill-fated Survivors and their descendants, who have been content in hiding for over three centuries. Isolated on a Montana mountainside, only Sadie, the rogue daughter, dares to abandon the family’s sacred hiding place. But no matter how far Sadie runs, something always pulls her back.
On a muggy summer night in Tennessee, she witnesses a shocking scene that will change her life forever. It is the first in a sequence of events that will drag her from the human world she’s sought to belong to for over a century and send her back to her Puritanical family and into an uncertain future filled with cunning witches, mysterious nosferatu shape-shifters, dangerous eretica and vieczy vampires, millennia-old mythology, and the search for her own mortality. After all…
How do you kill a Survivor?
The Survivors will steal your heart and invade your mind. Fall into the pages of Sadie’s life, a world so frighteningly similar to your own, you’ll find yourself wanting to go to the Montana mountains to find the Survivors for yourself.
And it is only the beginning..

The Survivors is the first book in a promising series with the same name. Full of unique paranormal lore and a variety of paranormal characters with a wide range of abilities, Amanda Havard does a great job at introducing readers to her intriguing world. I loved that this series starts out with the Salem Witch trials. There's been little YA books that have their stories tied to this historical event, and I thought Amanda did an incredible job with creating a series that starts off with this horrific event. Though The Survivors doesn't go into details about the Salem Witch trials, the characters that emerge in this book are children who accused of being witches and driven out of their village a couple weeks after the trail was over. 

Being a huge paranormal fan, I really enjoyed the wide range of paranormal characters that are apart of Sadie's story. They cover everything from Witches, Vampires, Shape-Shifters and more are. Though they're deemed "out casts" or aren't considered real in the human world, they all live within in their own family groups trying to blend into a world they've never been accepted into, with little to no human contact for the most part. I loved how their old world views clashed with the world's more modern day views. Being an immortal and hiding out of view from humans since the 1600's would take a toll on me. Luckily Sadie isn't a character who sits by idly and allows those leaders of her "family" to make all the decisions for her. She puts herself out there and wants to learn more about who she is, her family's history, how The Survivors, whom are immortal, can be killed. In doing so she goes to place that's forbidden. 

I liked that while The Survivors all live within the human world, they find blending in with humans sinful.   The fact that Sadie doesn't let that deter her makes me admire her all the more. She has this fierce determination about her that I loved. She's definitely a strong willed character, and someone I enjoyed getting to know. I admire her independence, her quest for answers, and her ability to live among humans no matter how hard it is. A character who matches Sadie's personality well is her romantic interest Everett. They have this sweet, innocent romance that at times made me want to push them together and tell them to just make out already. I will say I respected Everett and Sadie's strong values and their ability to stick to them. Everett is someone I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know more about. The twist about his family that's revealed towards the end of the book is great! 

Aside from the characters, I really enjoyed the historical references and the paranormal history and lore that Amanda created. I loved being able to travel all over the world with Sadie in her quest for answers. Her determination to find out more about her history, how Survivors can be destroyed and so forth as she visits different places looking into the paranormal myths present in each location, added some of the excitement into the story line. I enjoyed The Survivors and I thought Amanda did a great job at laying the foundation for the rest of the series, but I felt like something was missing from the book. Given what some of the characters are, I had excepted a little bit more action in this story than there was. I'm looking forward to Point of Origin, and finding out what's in store for Sadie and family next. 

Guest Post: Dark Readers on Cassandra Clare's COLS UK Signing at Foyle's

I'm so excited about today's guest post from Dark Readers! She was one of the lucky TMI fans who attended Cassie's UK signing this past Saturday at Foyles. Here's a lovely recap from the signing:

 
So where shall I start? Let's start with the beginning. So the lovely Neil who works at Foyles (UK bookstore who hosted the event) was kind enough to give me free tickets to see Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson at the Stratford Royal theatre. It's a lovely theatre right next to the Olympic stadium in London. When I arrived I was very excited! Because the last time I saw Cassandra and Maureen was late last year. I missed their banter and Cassandra is such a lovely lady it was nice to be in her presence again!

 
When I got there the queue there was already a queue. Some with some awesome t-shirts and some with runes Painted on there hands. I knew I was in the right place! Once we got into the actual theatre I learned that I and some fellow bloggers had reserved seating (Front row) we were surprised and delighted and took our seats!


 

 Maureen Introduced Cassadra in of course a wacky way! She introduced her from the top of the theatre! Everyone was cheering it was a great atmosphere! Cassandra was wearing an awesome blue dress that totally matched the lovely hot weather we were having. It was a great Q&A. Topics came up such as Magnus movie casting and how they are NOT auditioning anyone but Asian actors and how Cassandra wanted to keep the ethnicity of her characters the same because Actors in Hollywood especially none white ones usually get cast in the same roles and she wanted to change that which we absolutely love her for. Other things came up such as incidents in Hyde park with duck pie and Ducks! And reasons Will and Jem don't like them.
 

We were laughing through out! The people who asked questions got cool Mortal Instrument styled gifts. I asked a question but I can't actually remember what I asked!! But I do remember I got this awesome HEAL/PAINLESS rune key chain from Cassandra! One funny moment I remember is Maureen giving me the keychain she said To me "I remember you. I sat next to you" I was "awhhh" inside. She was referring to last year when we sat next to each other at a harper collins event and started talking about Misfits!! Also the hilarious Sarah Rees Brennan Was there!

Other things were discussed including spoilers from City Of Lost Souls, favourite books, London, strong female characters, Sebastian, kittens. Cassandra's new series, Chemistry auditions for the movie and great news that in the back of Clockwork Princess there will be a family tree of all the families including Mortal instruments and Infernal Devices, so if you guys were ever confused about characters this is going to help you! After the Q&A we all queued up to get our books signed!

Cassandra and Maureen are as lovely as ever, and check out all my signed books woo!!
 

It was a great day and had lots of laughs and insight into Maureen and Cassandra's crazy genius brains! Also want to say thanks to Mundie Moms for letting me guest post of their ever so awesome blog!

Twitter Tuesday - Hourglass for $1.99


What a great way to start of your beach/pool reading -- Hourglass by Myra McEntire is $1.99 for the Kindle edition.

I know -- NO WAY. But yes, indeed, it is. If you're on the fence about spending the money, read Katie's 5-star review here. I, too, loved it except well, Katie and I disagree on our team choices. I'm Team Michael for all the obvious yummy heroic traits. She's Team Kaleb for all the obvious hello-I'm-a-broken-boy-and-boy-am-I-in-need-of-someone-who-understands-me traits.

Don't you think you need to see why we disagree? If you're in the mood for time travel, action and ah yes, romance get it for your kindle or your smart phone and decide which team your prefer.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Looking for a great summer book to pick up and take with you on your way to the pool, beach or lake? Don't miss picking up some all time favorites, like Sarah Dessen's books. Her books are getting a whole new make over and I'm thrilled to be revealing the new cover for Sarah's That Summer. Check out the new cover!




I love this new cover! This definitely screams take me with you to the beach, pool or lake. What do you guys think? Do you like the new cover? 

Purchase That Summer on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Be sure to follow Sarah on her: Website | Blog | Twitter | Tumblr
Join The Sarah-land Community on Ning

Follow Penguin Teen on: Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

The Giveaway:
Thank you to Penguin Teen, I've got 3 paperback copies of That Summer with the new cover to giveaway to 3 lucky readers! 


To enter, please leave me a comment with your email address telling me what you think about the cover and where your favorite place to read in the summer is at. 
- 1 entry per person (1 comment per person, additional comments will NOT be counted toward your entry)
- US residents only
- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter
- This giveaway will end on June 7th, 2012

Don't miss the other fabulous cover reveals for Sarah's other books here:

May 28: That Summer (Mundie Moms) - http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/
May 29: Someone Like You (Penguin Teen Tumblr) - http://penguinteen.tumblr.com 
May 30: Keeping the Moon (Frenetic Reader) - http://www.freneticreader.com/
May 31: Dreamland (Green Bean Teen Queen) - http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/


June 1: This Lullaby (Steph Su) - http://stephsureads.blogspot.com/ 
June 4: The Truth About Forever (Forever YA) - http://www.foreveryoungadult.com 
June 5: Just Listen (Princess Bookie) - http://www.princessbookie.com/
June 6: Lock & Key (Presenting Lenore) - http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/
June 7: Along for the Ride (The Story Siren) - http://www.thestorysiren.com

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