Mundie Moms

Friday, May 31, 2013

Katie's Bringing Back an Awesome Giveaway from BEA!


Katie is bringing back one awesome pressie from BEA! And guess what? It's going to be a giveaway! Look for it in the coming weeks because it's a TMI Movie edition of City of Bones and it's signed by Cassie herself. 

It looks like our Mundie Mom was helping out at the Cassie signing today and someone tagged Katie on this adorable photo. Look at that fan's expression! And, of course, Katie's own grin. Being in front of Cassie does that to you. You just want to keep smiling.



Over on instagram, clubfandemonium, snapped an entirely perfect picture of Cassie and Katie. They were both trying to take pics of the props from the movie (pictured in previous post). Such a fun shot. Look at the concentration on their faces.


And lastly, one more clubfandemonium picture from last night's TMI party. Don't you love the rune on the floor?


I, personally, love these photos and thank the fans who've been tagging us on them. For those of us who didn't make it to BEA, it's so fun to see all the crazy awesomeness that goes on there. 

The Trevor Project : A Chance to Win a TMI Movie Cast Signed Copy of City of Bones




An awesome fundraiser is on its very last day. Mundie Moms, if you can, go contribute $10 to the Trevor Project and you'll receive a snippet of the the next Bane Chronicles installment featuring James Herondale! Plus one person will win a TMI cast signed copy of City of Bones!

The book is signed by Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lena Headey, Jared Harris, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Robert Sheehan, Jemima West, Kevin Zegers, Aidan Turner, Robert Maillet, and Kevin Durand. It also contains a signed photo of Godfrey Gao!

This is a fundraiser for the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its free and confidential lifeline, in-school workshops, educational materials and online resources and advocacy. Learn more at TheTrevorProject.org.

Only one person can win the book, but EVERYONE who enters will get a snippet from the upcoming Bane Chronicles.....an excerpt from "The Midnight Heir," which is set in Edwardian London.

To enter, simply make a donation of $10 or more to the Trevor Project through this page, which will be up until May 31st. We’ll pick a winner at random and send them the book, and make sure everyone gets their excerpt from the Bane Chronicles.

Click here to go donate! This is such an important project and one we're thrilled that Cassie is supporting.

Props from the Movie at the BEA TMI Party


Cassie posted these gorgeous pictures of key props from the movie which all the BEA TMI party-goers got to view at last night's party. Here's what she said about them on her tumblr:

Props from the movie party last night! All were used on set/worn by the actors. Everything handmade, hand painted.

Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Written by: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffith
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Source: Purchased
Purchase: amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
Goodreads: Eleanor and Park

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars-- I adored this story SO much!

Synopsis: Bono met his wife in high school, Park says. 
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers. 
I’m not kidding, he says. 
You should be, she says, we’re 16. 
What about Romeo and Juliet? 
Shallow, confused, then dead. 
I love you, Park says. 
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers. 
I’m not kidding, he says. 
You should be. 

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under. 


Every year since I began reviewing, there seems to be a story that surprises me. It's usually a quietly launched story without a lot of over-hyped buzz, but it picks up steam as it passes from reviewer to reviewer and friend to friend. It's the story that your good, bookworm friends will text you about and insist you need to read it next. It's the story that once you do read, you understand immediately why your friends encouraged you to read it and so in turn, you pass it along to someone who hasn't read it, yet. Eleanor and Park is just such a story.

First, I remember 1986 a little too well, and I remember the music a little too well. I also remember the biases of small towns towards anyone who didn't fit the norm. I use this phrase entirely too much, so here it goes again -- lovely, layered characters. That's exactly what Rainbow brings us. It's not just Eleanor and Park who I feel I know so well that when I climb onto a school bus (for my kids' field trips), I expect to see them in the back. It's also the parents, especially Park's, that rang so true. His mom could be my mom if you swap out her Korean upbringing for a Serbian one. Rainbow delivers glimpses of their back-stories in a few short sentences that left me shattered at what the mom, in particular, must have experienced. I won't even discuss Park's dad, because in Rainbow's capable hands he's THAT guy; oh trust me, you'll know it when you read it. He's the guy that is so consistent; I simply fell in love with both his parents. And in them, I saw hope for what Eleanor and Park could become.

But wait, you say, Sophie this book is not called Park's parents. Okay, it's not. I'm trying to not spoil things because Eleanor lives a tough life. An awful life. In the midst of what should be hopeless despair, she finds pockets of sanity for herself, and she finds Park. Watching her allow Park into her life made this story, for me, one of the most satisfying reads this year. I won't even talk about the ending because it contained words that broke my heart, yes, in a good way.

When you're in the mood for a realistic story featuring characters who will stay with you long after you finished the last page, pick up Eleanor and Park. I promise that you will then turn into one of those people I mentioned above. The one who insists that their friends should drop everything and read this book next.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

TMI Party Day at BEA


It's TMI Party Day at BEA today and everyone is excited and getting ready for tonight. Here's what Cassie had to say on her tumblr about the preparations: 

Scary looking Shadowhunters greet me as I get up to prepare to TMI PARTY DAY at Book Expo America. The party starts tonight — there’s going to be rune artists, drinks, food, movie props, shoutouts from the cast, a playlitst put together by Unviversal Republic who are doing the soundtrack, and five minutes of movie footage to share with the partygoers. I am excite, but wish the humidity was not causing my hair to look like Sideshow Bob’s.
And I think Cassie loves jewelry as much as we do, so she shared (on her tumblr) a very special piece of jewelry that she will be wearing tonight.
So I’m getting dressed for the #TMIParty tonight — much glitter is involved — and I thought I’d share my one piece of jewelry. *points up* All the Shadowhunters in the film got these rune necklaces — you can see Jamie wearing his, blurrily, in the below photo. Each of them had a rune specific to the character. Jamie’s is Strength. Valentine’s is Power. Hodge’s is Knowledge (Jared was super-serious about which rune he got!) and Luke’s is Fate.

After the production, Harald and I got two more necklaces made by the props department. Harald’s rune is Vision. Mine is Good Luck. I’ll be wearing it tonight! I’ll be tweeting #tmiparty as the party goes on!


 Cassie is going to look stunning, as usual(check out her instagram pics here and here, yes, to the glitter and the lovely blue/purple hair extensions!) and boy, do I wish someone was going to make those pendants. I'd totally put away all my pennies to get one.



And just look at the party setting:

From SimonTeen's instagram.

From Cassie's instagram. That's Maureen Johnson in the bottom left-hand corner.
And my favorite picture -- Cassie and Katie B!!!

Cassie with Mundie Moms' founder, Katie B.
This looks like one incredible event where everyone's having one heck of  a time!

Book Review: ADAPTATION by Malinda Lo

Written by: Malinda Lo
Publisher: Little, Brown
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Source: Purchased
Series: Adaptation series #1
Purchase: IndieBound | amazon | Barnes and Noble
Goodreads:  Adaptation (Adaptation, #1)

Rating: 5 out of 5 action-packed stars. I loved it!!!

Synopsis: Reese can’t remember anything from the time between the accident and the day she woke up almost a month later. She only knows one thing: She’s different now. Across North America, flocks of birds hurl themselves into airplanes, causing at least a dozen to crash. Thousands of people die. Fearing terrorism, the United States government grounds all flights, and millions of travelers are stranded.

Reese and her debate team partner and longtime crush David are in Arizona when it happens. Everyone knows the world will never be the same. On their drive home to San Francisco, along a stretch of empty highway at night in the middle of Nevada, a bird flies into their headlights. The car flips over. When they wake up in a military hospital, the doctor won’t tell them what happened, where they are—or how they’ve been miraculously healed.

Things become even stranger when Reese returns home. San Francisco feels like a different place with police enforcing curfew, hazmat teams collecting dead birds, and a strange presence that seems to be following her. When Reese unexpectedly collides with the beautiful Amber Gray, her search for the truth is forced in an entirely new direction—and threatens to expose a vast global conspiracy that the government has worked for decades to keep secret.

Aside: I like when reviewers admit biases. So here goes, I love pretty much all plots that play upon a certain subject matter. I won't divulge it fully, but think "X Files" and "Fringe" and I'm there. Throw in a government conspiracy and you've got me sitting up late and flipping pages.

I wasn't sure what ADAPTATION was about. Yes, I read the synopsis and thought hmm, bird invasion, eh? Interesting. But what I didn't expect was to be pulled into Reese's story with such force that yes, I ignored pretty much everything (except my dog's repeated requests to be let outside).

Here's what Malinda does brilliantly -- she writes this seemingly sweet, little story about Reese and an unexpectedly awkward moment that occurred during a debate competition. Just when you fall into the rhythm of what could be a contemporary romance plot, Malinda pulls you away into scenes so action packed that you find yourself holding your breath and then trying to exhale normally so that people around you don’t notice you’re not breathing while reading, what, a book?!? Phew. See? I held my breath just writing that run-on sentence.

And then yes, there is romance. Malinda, you can write me a kissy scene any old time (not that she’s taking requests). The romance in this story is so real, it could be the storyline of a favorite romance of mine. Swing sets, corner coffee shops and San Francisco. Oh, how Malinda made me miss the city I used to visit so often.

But then there’s the matter of the birds, terrorism and Reese discovering what happened in that military hospital. As a reader, I didn’t have much time to focus on the romance because I was too busy discovering what will happen next. If you love science fiction, you must pick up ADAPTATION . Musty-must-must.

In fact, while Katie’s away at BEA and I’m quietly keeping things up to date on MMs, so I think I’ll give away a hardcover of the book. Fill out the Rafflecopter widget below. Yes, the giveaway is open to international addresses. Anywhere that The Book Depository or Barnes and Noble will ship. Okay now, go enter. Or go to the library and check it out. Or go to the bookstore and purchase a copy. It’s worth it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BEA Excitemement


Katie is at BEA right now and it's so fun to see all the cool photos she's taking. You can follow her BEA #ShadowhunterShenanigans on MMs twitter | instagram | tumblr | facebook where she will be posting all the fun!

Look at that gorgeous banner hanging over the entrance of BEA!

TMI Movie Theater Display Standees



Cassie posted this on her tumblr last night. A fan's sister works in a movie theater and snapped these just added items! It's getting closer and closer to August 21st!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

City of Bones Movie Tie-In Edition with Pre-Order Links


Cassie just posted this picture of City of Bones, the movie tie-in edition and here's what she had to say:

The City of Bones tie-in edition! I’m always a little frightened of tie-in editions but this one came out extremely pretty. I love the creepy upside-down city and the book is shimmery gold on top and shimmery silver on the bottom. Here it is having arrived today, living on my coffee table.
Pre-order links: amazon |  Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

It's scheduled to be released on July 9th, and that's just around the corner! We're almost there!

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, Cover Reveal

I am beyond thrilled to be teaming up with Disney Hyperion this morning to reveal the cover of their upcoming release, ALL OUR YESTERDAYS by Cristin Terrill. Fresh off it's reveal at this morning's BEA's YA Buzz Panel, I'm so excited to able to share the cover with you!

Check out this AWESOME cover!




“You have to kill him.”

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.



Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present-imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.




Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America's most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’ life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.




“All Our Yesterdays” is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Book releases Sept. 3, 2013 from Disney-Hyperion

Early reviews:

"Time travel done right.... Powerful emotional relationships and tight plotting in this debut mark Terrill as an author to watch." - Kirkus Reviews

“Masterfully plotted and rich with emotion, ‘All our Yesterdays’ is possibly the most addictive book I’ve read this year.” – Becca Fitzpatrick, New York Times Bestselling Author

“‘All our Yesterdays’ is one of the most astonishing debuts I have read so far this year. A real nail biting and mind-bending time warping adventure that will have readers everywhere on the edge of their seats. I loved it!” – Fiction Fascination

“Cristin Terrill’s mind-bending thriller is intense, clever and achingly romantic. This is time-travel as it should be – exciting and completely unpredictable. A definite must read.” – Realm of Fiction

I.AM.SOLD! I can not wait to pick this DEBUT book up!  This is one upcoming release you guys want to add to your TBR lists. 


About the Book

By: Cristin Terrill
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
To Be Released on: September 3rd
Pre-Order it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to your Goodreads

About the Author





My name’s Cristin Terrill, and I’m a young adult author and aspiring grown-up. I grew up semi-nomadic and graduated from Vassar College with a degree in drama. After getting my masters in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, I lived in London, Austin, Boston, and Washington, DC while working as a theatrical stage manager. Now I write and lead creative writing workshops for DC-area kids and teens. All Our Yesterdays is my first novel.

Follow Cristin via her: WebsiteTwitter | Tumblr | Facebook

Martin Moszkowicz Asks What is Our Must See Scene in City of Ashes


Martin tweeted these two questions and boy, did I immediately have answers! What do you think are your Not to Be Missed scenes in City of Ashes? I know we all agree about the obvious first answer, Seelie Court scene, but what about some of the other scenes?

My personal favorite is one of the last scenes in the book where Jace says, "I'll just be your brother from now on." (page 451). That scene still breaks my heart every single time I read it.

As for the "essence" of TMI? I'm going with bittersweet. What about you, MMs? What do you think best describes the essence of the series? Go answer Martin, @mmoszkowicz.

MTV News Exclusive On Set Interview with Jamie


MTV News has an exclusive on-set interview with Jamie Campbell Bower where they discuss, what else but, being Jace. Now I do remember when I first read City of Bones, I thought why would Clary fall for such a sarcastic, okay good-looking, jerk? But then about 100 pages into it, I understood that it was just part of Jace's armor and I actually began to look forward to his well-timed, snarky remarks. Here's Jamie's thought on Jace:
"What I love about him is the fact that he's actually a bit of a d*****bag," Bower said during a 3 a.m. interview on the Toronto set. "He's not like a meathead, he's just sarcastic and rude."
You can read the rest of the interview here including Cassie's thoughts on Jamie's performance, which I just loved:
"Personality-wise, Jamie is exactly like Jace," Clare said. "It's actually like interacting with Jace, talking to him. It's a little bit creepy."
Can you even imagine what that was like for Cassie? A character come to life? Creepy indeed.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Cassandra Jean's Tarot Cards - Cristina Rosales and Jaime

Another Cassandra Jean masterpiece. I love seeing the new characters from The Dark Artifices represented through tarot cards. 

Here's what Cassie says about the card (from her tumblr):

We’ve moved on from the Major Arcana to the minor Arcana — the first suit is the suit of Rings, which takes the place of the suit of Pentacles. The Three of Rings shows Cristina and Jaime Rosales from The Dark Artifices. Cassandra Jean has included Cristina’s pendant and Jaime’s crossbow, and the rose-pattern ring of the Rosales family. Jamie and Cristina are not brother and sister. Interestingly, the Four of Pentacles is a card that can be about fear of love: losing it, or getting it.

MTV News to Unveil City of Bones Exclusive Tomorrow Featuring Jace


Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz), managing editor/correspondent of MTV News, tweeted this today. Hmm, what could it be, Mundie Moms? An exclusive? Something with Jace? Well, we will be waiting to see what this fun is all about. 

Should be a great Wednesday!

Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick, Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway

Hello! Welcome to today's cover reveal for Ilsa J. Bick's MONSTERS, the third & final book in her The Ashes Trilogy. I'm thrilled to be hosting today's reveal and giveaway. Check out this cover!


I'm loving this cover. Look closely and you just might see an image among the title and the green fog that's wrapped around MONSTERS. The trees in the back ground add to the eeriness of the cover. Thank you to Egmont USA, I've also got an excerpt and a giveaway to go along with today's cover reveal.


Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick
Prologue

ALEX had fallen like this only once in her life. That happened when she was nine and took a wild leap from Blackrocks Cliff off Presque Isle into the deep sapphire-blue of Lake Superior. She remembered that the air was laced with the scent of wild lilacs and early honeysuckle. Although hot sun splashed her shoulders, her bare arms and legs were sandpapery with gooseflesh because the wind skimming Superior was, even in June, still very cold—and she was also, frankly, freaked out. Standing at the cliff’s edge, her monkey-thin toes gripping rough basalt, she looked down past her new emerald green bathing suit, felt her stomach drop, and thought, Seriously? That cove looked pretty puny. Her dad, who’d gone first with a whoop and a leap, was only a dot.
“Come on, you can do this, honey!” She could see the white flash of his grin—a tanned, muscular, bluff, and confident man, who carried her on his shoulders and boomed out songs. “Jump to me, sweetheart! Just remember, feet first and you’ll be fine!”
“Oh-oh-oh . . .” She meant to say okay, but her teeth chattered. Heights scared her something stupid. Stephanie’s birthday party last month? The indoor climbing wall? Mistaaake. Not only was she the only one to freeze and then slip; she came this close to wetting her pants. And now her dad was daring her to jump from way up here? For fun?
Can’t do this, I can’t . . . Every muscle locked in a sudden, whole-body freeze, except for her head, which swelled and ballooned. I’m going to faint. Her brain seemed surprised. This is what it’s like to—
There was a whirring sensation, like the blast of a jet engine gushing through her skull, blowing her sky-high. All of a sudden, she wasn’t in her body at all but floating waaay up there, looking down at this teeny-tiny girl in a deep green bathing suit, an emerald smudge with hair as red as blood. Far below, so small he was nothing more than a mote in a very blue and watery eye, was her dad.
“Alex?” Her dad’s voice was the size of a gnat. “Come on, sweetheart, jump to me.”
“If she doesn’t want to . . .” Her mom, the worrier, on a faraway crescent of gravel, hand to her eyes as the wind whipped her hair. “She doesn’t have to prove—”
But yes, I do. Her mom’s words—her doubt that Alex had the guts—cut the string of the strange kite to which her brain was yoked. That weird distance collapsed, and Alex plunged back into her skin, faster than a comet, to flood the space behind her eyes.
Then she was out over open water, with no memory of launching herself from the cliff—probably a good thing, because she’d have spazzed, I’ll slip, I’ll slip, I’ll bust a leg or break my face, and only scared herself more. Long red hair streaming like a failed parachute, she sliced through air in a high whistle of wind.
Slapping the water, still icy at that time of year, was a shock. She punched through with her hip, a hard smack that jolted a mouthful of air past the corkscrew of her lips. Silvery, shimmering bubbles boiled from her mouth and all around her. Water gushed up her nose, the pain of the brain freeze scaring her even more than losing what was probably no more than a sip of air. She could hear herself, too: a choked little underwater raspberry, a bwwwuhh, not quite a scream but close enough. The water wasn’t blue at all but murky and a really weird, brassy green. She couldn’t see more than a few feet—and was she still sinking? I’m going to drown! She could feel a panic-rat skittering in her skull, nipping her eyeballs as she whirled, her hair fanning like seaweed. I’m going to drown! Wild with fear, she looked for her dad but didn’t, couldn’t see legs or feet or hands or anything. She wasn’t sure where the surface was. Craning, she saw how the water yellowed with diffuse sun. Go, that’s up, go, go, swim! Thrashing, she bulleted up and then crashed through, her breath jetting in a thin shriek: “Ahh!”


“Attagirl!” Her father was instantly there, laughing, his wet hair dark and slick as seal skin. “That’s my Alex! Wasn’t that fun?”

“Uh,” she grunted. Still booming a delighted laugh, her dad wrapped her up and boosted her—shrieking deliriously now—way up high, nearly out of the water, before bringing her back down to earth and to him, because he was that strong.

Then, together, they stroked for the gravel beach, her father pulling a slow sidestroke, staying with her the whole way as she churned for shore, and home.


That was where the memory ended. She couldn’t recall if she and her dad climbed the cliff again. Knowing her dad—how much she adored and wanted to please, be his girl and dare anything—they probably had. Knowing her dad, he’d treated her to a waffle cone of chocolate custard topped with Mounds and Almond Joy chunks because, sometimes, you just feel like a nut. Her dad probably stole from her cone so she could dip into his, right backatcha. She bet her dad told her mom, Relax, honey, she’s wash and wear, as Alex crunched almonds and chewy, juicy coconut and licked sweet chocolate runnels, molten in the afternoon heat, from her wrist and forearm and the knob of her elbow. Her father was that kind of man.
More than likely, she’d been underwater less than ten seconds. She got herself out of it, too, and all because her dad dared her to try. After that leap, she really believed she might dare anything, because no matter what, if she jumped, her father would be waiting to swim by her side, stroke for stroke, into forever.
Of course, she was nine and her dad was immortal.
And nothing lasts forever.

Years later, after her parents were dead, her doctors said she’d had an out-of-body experience. Commonplace, no voodoo. For example, certain epileptics had similar experiences all the time. Hoping to walk the stars and know the gods, mystics and shamans drank potions. It was all funky brain chemistry, the doctors said, the mind’s switches already primed, requiring only that you tickle the brain in the right spot, goose it just so. Easy-peasy. Figure out how to bottle it, and we’d all be rich.
In fact, her last doctor thought what happened at Blackrocks— that shove from the shell of her mind—might’ve been the monster, just beginning to wake. That her sleep going to hell and the smell of phantom smoke weren’t her first symptoms after all. That her little baby monster was hatching, chip-chip-chipping a peephole to peer with one yellow baby-monster eye—why, hello there—way back then.
And she had been falling, falling, falling ever since . . .
Into now.


About the Book:

The Changed are on the move. The Spared are out of time. The End...is now.

When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn't get much worse-until the doctors found the monster in her head.

She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death.

Now, with no hope of rescue-on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won't quit-she discovers a new and horrifying truth.

The Change isn't over.
The Changed are still evolving.
And...they've had help.

With this final volume of The Ashes Trilogy, Ilsa J. Bick delivers a riveting, blockbuster finish, returning readers to a brutal, post-apocalyptic world where no one is safe and hope is in short supply.

A world where, from these ashes, the monsters may rise


Published by: Egmont USA
To Be Released on: September 10th, 2013
Pre-Order it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

About the Author:

Among other things, I was an English major in college and so I know that I'm supposed to write things like, "Ilsa J. Bick is ." Except I hate writing about myself in the third person like I'm not in the room. Helloooo, I'm right here . . . So let's just say that I'm a child psychiatrist (yeah, you read that right)as well as a film scholar, surgeon wannabe (meaning I did an internship in surgery and LOVED it and maybe shoulda stuck), former Air Force major—and an award-winning, best-selling author of short stories, e-books, and novels. Believe me, no one is more shocked about this than I . . . unless you talk to my mother.

The Giveaway:
Thank you to EgmontUSA, I have an awesome The Ashes Trilogy prize pack to giveaway today to 1 lucky winner. The prize pack includes all three books from the trilogy (including an ARC of MONSTERS), and a camo Ashes backpack. To enter, please fill out the form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GODDESS by Josephine Angelini, Book Review


By: Josephine Angelini
Published by: Harper Teen
Released on: May 28th, 2013 TODAY
Source: arc from publisher to review
Series: Starcrossed #3
5 Stars: I Loved It Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.
In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.


GODDESS is a action packed, romance fueled story that will toy with your emotions. It will  have you feeling happy and sighing one moment, and totally heartbroken the next. With war on the horizon, friendships are tested, sacrifices are made, hearts are broken, and crucial choices have to be made. WOW! This book has it all. Josephine Angelini wraps up this series perfectly. Everything that has happened in this series so far was leading up to what plays out in the series's final pages.

With Goddess we not only get a more indepth look at the mythology and world these characters live in, and create, but we see the history, and the love and heartbreak that some of the characters and the Gods have dwelt with. In seeing this, and getting bits and pieces of their back stories I felt it was easier to understand what drove some of the characters to make the decisions they made, both in the past and presently. Some of them are still dealing with consequences from those action, and others are seeing how their actions effect others now. Helen's choices have consequences that will effect everyone, including the two people she loves, and the Gods they don't want to anger. 

These characters are awesome. Really. I love how they were molded from mythology that makes up their stories. I've always found this mythology to be romantic, as much as it is brutal. Aside from the Gods, some of the characters grew into characters who became more romantic, and some became more brutal. I love it when a story, it's mythology and characters all compliment each other the way it has in the STARCROSSED series. I loved seeing the characters grow and change, while also getting a deeper look into the Greek mythology and the intense, captivating world Josephine has created. She has done such a stellar job at creating a mythology that is truly unique to her own story, as well as staying true to the over all mythology. 

 Though this story centers on Helen, there are so many outstanding characters who help bring her story to life. I can't even pick a favorite character anymore. I loved what evolves in the story with Matt, Hector, Andy, Orion, Lucas, Helen and Claire. Ooh there are some relationships that start that I wanted more of! I fell even harder for some of the characters in this series with this book, which I didn't think was possible. Some of them surprised me with the direction in which they change and grow in and others shocked me with the relationships that start between in them. I hope there's some sort of spin off with this series, because I seriously want more. 

I love it when secondary characters shine like the ones in this series have, both good and bad. Talk about some twists.... yep, this story has them. Above all, I really liked the way Helen has grown, and how she learns to embrace who she is, and her powers. Part of this book is seeing her do that, and the rest of the book is seeing her in action. Aside from the rich friendships in this series, I LOVED the romances in this book. Yes there is heartbreak, but there are also plenty of moments that more than make up for that. Even with the romance, the friendships are what stood out the most to me. 

 After reading Dreamless I didn't think this series could get any better, than I read GODDESS. WOW! I love it when an author creates a story with characters I want to spend more time with, and a world I love discovering more of. Josephine Angelini has given me all that and more with this series. With GODDESS, Josephine provided the perfect ending for this captivating series. I'm looking forward to reading whatever it she's working on next. 

More Cassandra Jean Circle Art


Cassandra Jean always amazes us with her interpretations of Cassie's characters, and here we have Robert and Micheal from their Circle days.  

Here's what Cassandra Jean had to say about her drawing:

More Robert and Michael. (TMI written by @CassieClare) In the description of them when they were young, Robert is described as being very short, or Maryse is very tall (or both?) But I’ve become obsessed with the idea that Robert was shorter than everyone else when he was younger.

Twitter Tuesday - Simon's Tumblr






I'm still loving the "City of Bones" (@mortalmovie) marketing campaign because of the sheer level of fun they're having and then sharing it with all of us in the fandom. Here's an update from Simon's tumblr.
 like coffee.

I like coffee, a lot.

For real, if coffee was a human female named Coffy I would ask her out and date her, providing she was also into me?

That took a weird turn. Anyway…
Oh Simon, he just brings out the geeky-awkward in everything, doesn't he? Go read the rest here and have a great Tuesday, MMs.

Monday, May 27, 2013

DANGEROUS by Shannon Hale, Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway

Happy Monday! I am beyond excited to teaming up with Bloomsbury to reveal Shannon Hale's upcoming YA release, DANGEROUS (coming April 2014). 

Check out this cover!



Being a huge Shannon Hale fan, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am over this book.  If you're attending BEA this week, you'll find out plenty more about Dangerous from Bloomsbury!! 


DANGEROUS BY SHANNON HALE:
"One of the best books I've ever read. Ever." --James Dashner, NY Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner.

The warehouse was coffin dark. I put out a hand, feeling my way up the stairs.
        I knew I wasn't alone.
        I strained to hear movement. A scuffed foot, the rustle of clothing. The clink of ammunition. Anything.
        There was nothing. Just the sound of my own labored breathing.
        If I had known all that would happen these past months, would I still have entered that stupid sweepstakes?
        No, I thought. Never.
        But my hand pressed against the tokens in my chest, protective.
        I climbed faster.
        Our team was shattered. Two of us left. Only one would walk away from this encounter. But I didn't want to kill again. And I didn't want to die.

Maisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit, see something new. She never intended to fall in love. And she never imagined stumbling into a frightening plot that kills her friends and just might kill her, too. A plot that is already changing life on Earth as we know it. There's no going back. She is the only thing standing between danger and annihilation.

From NY Times bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a novel that asks, How far would you go to save the ones you love? And how far would you go to save everyone else?

ISBN: 9781599901688
Coming April 2014

Add it to Goodreads

About Shannon:

Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge and its sequel Calamity Jack with husband Dean Hale. They live near Salt Lake City, Utah with their four small children, and their pet, a small, plastic pig.

Follow Shannon on: her Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The Giveaway:
Thank you to Bloomsbury, I've got 3 arcs of DANGEROUS to giveaway today! To enter, please fill out the form below. Don't forget to read the giveaway rules before entering, found at the bottom of the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Memorial Day Observance

image found on google

In observance of today's Memorial Day, we humbly thank you those who have giving their all to defend our freedoms and serve our country. THANK YOU to those who continue to sacrifice so much in serving our country. We wish all of you a happy and safe holiday today. 

Labels