Mundie Moms

Friday, February 28, 2014

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott, Blog Tour: Book Review


Welcome to the second part of today's Fire & Blood blog tour. Be sure to check out my interview with Victoria Scott & enter to win HERE. Now I'm excited to share my review for Victoria's recent release. 


About the Book

By: Victoria Scott
Published: Scholastic
Released On: February 25, 2014
Series: Fire & Flood #1
Source: arc from publisher to review
Rating: 4.5 Stars - I Really Enjoyed It!
Pre-Order It From: AmazonBarnes & Noble
Add It To: Goodreads

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.
Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.
The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?
An action packed, suspenseful read that kept me hooked from beginning to end. Fire & Flood kept my heart racing, and left me wishing book two was already in my hands. I need to know what happens next!!

I really enjoyed this book. At first, I was wondering what the heck Tella was getting into to, but it didn't take long for story's fast pace storyline to pick up, and it didn't slow down until the book ended. Sure, at first there were a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games, but not long after I thought that, I realized this may have some similarities, but it's definitely NOT The Hunger Games. This story quickly turns into something that is action packed, suspenseful and all it's own. Trust me, I wouldn't have read it other wise. 

Yes, this book is about survival, and there's a race to get to the end, but that's where the similarities end. Forced into a race no one wants to be in, these competitors are left with limited supplies, an egg (yep you'll find out why this egg is so important) to aid them, and put in the middle of a jungle/desert, and are given two weeks to make it to base camp. First one to base camp wins a certain prize, and can  decide if they want to go on competing to win the grand prize, or, walk away now. Remember that came capture the flag? Yeah I loved it as a kid. Well like that game, contenders are on the hunt to find a flag. Whom ever finds a flag first is on the right track to finding base camp, that is if you make it there alive. You never know what dangers are lurking in these dangerous settings.  

There's a catch to this game. Each person racing is doing it for a family member who is dying and needs a cure. The winner of the entire race gets that cure. This race is seriously like Hell on earth. There were many times when Tella questions things, that I myself was wondering "What Would I Do?".  It's not a race to the death, but not everyone will make it out alive. Seriously, I felt the character's anxieties and fears in this book. The conditions these characters have to deal with are like Survivor Mets Man Vs Wild. Only there's no one there to help these contenders out excerpt for themselves. Scott's vivid descriptions made it extremely easy for me to see myself there in the lush, harsh jungle and the hellish desert settings. It also brought out my squeamish side. I'm just saying when there's a scene with gigantic fire ants attaching Tella, yeah, I might have freaked out a bit. If there had been those freakishly huge spiders found in the rain forest I would have thrown the book. I already had a hard time getting some images out of my head. *swats around for ants*

I loved the characters in this book. Scott made it so easy for me to understand each of their motives, and decision making, except for one of them. Scott wrote the characters in a way that made me cheer each of them on, and also had me understanding them, and sympathizing with them. Usually I don't find myself doing that when there's a large group of characters like there is in this book. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the characters ended up dividing into teams, and worked together. Even though they know that decisions would be made, that in the end only one person could win. Over all they did care about each other. Don't get me wrong, there are some dangerous characters and they definitely add to the suspense and chilling things that happen in this book. 

Tella was great. I admired her for her reason to race, not like she really had a choice. I liked that there are times she thought things out, and learned to pay attention to things that were happening around her, vs just doing things for the sake of being told to, or because everyone else was doing so. I loved how strong she, and the strength she found as the story continued. I really liked the chemistry that was there with her and Guy. I want to know a lot more about him. Through him, Scott was able to infuse the story with plenty of twists, turns, and shocking truths behind The Brimstone Games. 

 Much like what Guy does with Tella, Scott does with her readers. Tella finds out just enough to get her curiosity going, and it makes her think, and it challenges her. She knows enough, but she wants more. There is a lot to this story, and I love that Scott reveals things little by little as the story goes on, but never once giving away more than necessary  I realized when I finished that she only told me enough of what I needed to know, to hook me. There are so many more questions I have, that I know Scott will reveal in the next book. Which is why I want it now. haha. I love that this book is part action/adventure, and SciFi all wrapped up into one.  Fire & Flood is book definitely worth picking up! *There is some mild language in this book.


Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott, Blog Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway



Hello & Welcome to today's FIRE & FLOOD tour stop! I'm so excited about this tour. I am so thrilled to have Victoria Scott on the blog tour. She is one of my favorite TX people!! Just for her..... *DANTE HANDS* (snickers). Today's stop is a two part post, as the first post is sharing my interview with her, and the second post will be sharing my review of her newest release!! First, here's a little bit about Fire & Flood, which released this past Tuesday. 


About the Book

By: Victoria Scott
Published: Scholastic
Released On: February 25, 2014
Pre-Order It From: AmazonBarnes & Noble
Add It To: Goodreads

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.
Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.
The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?
This book is one that is definitely worth picking up! You can read my review for it later today here on the blog. 




Welcome to back to Mundie Moms! I'm so thrilled to have you here. Congrats on Fire & Flood. Can you tell our readers a little bit about your story? 
It’s the story of a teen girl who enters a dangerous race across jungle, mountain, desert, and sea to try and win the Cure for her brother’s illness. Each Contender in the race is fighting to help a sick loved one, and each Contender is provided a genetically-engineered animal to help them try and win. 

Let's talk about your cover. It's so AWESOME! I love it. What was your first thought when you saw your cover?
I was beyond happy. I had three wishes for the cover that I never shared with anyone (not even my editor). One, I wanted it to be symbolic. Two, I wanted it to be masculine. And three, I wanted it to be able to cross genders and ages (so anyone would feel comfortable walking out of the store with it). Scholastic met those wishes, and exceeded them. 

Which of your characters did you have the most fun getting to know? 
Probably the main character, Tella. I like how out of her element she is in this race. The one thing I didn’t want when writing Fire & Flood was to have a main character perfectly suited to win, because where’s the challenge or hardship in that? 

Is there a character who surprised you in terms of the role they ended up playing in Fire & Flood? Did anyone start off with a smaller role that ended up with a much bigger one?
Harper. Initially, I thought about killing her off early because she was almost too strong, but I grew to like how her relationship with Tella developed. So she got to live. ;) 

Which of your characters would you have been friends with as a teen and why?
Probably Tella because she seems like she would be super fun at parties

What's something you admire the most about Tella?
Her ability to muster courage when it’s needed even though it doesn’t come naturally. I strongly believe that bravery is not being fearless, but showing courage despite fear. That’s what Tella does. Also, she embraces her femininity, and learns that femininity and strength are not mutually exclusive. You can love nail polish and still conquer the world.  

If you had to participate in the Brimstone Bleed, what are 5 things you'd take with you?
A Pandora, a first-aid kit, hiking boots, a tent…and chocolate chip cookies. Don’t judge me.

Can you tell us what you're working on next?
I’m toying with two things: a dark psychological stand-alone, and a fantasy series.  We’ll see if either come to fruition. ;)
****************

About the Author
Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe of the Harvey-Klinger Literary Agency. She’s the author of the FIRE & FLOOD series published by Scholastic, and the DANTE WALKER trilogy published by Entangled Teen. Her books have been bought and translated in eleven foreign markets including the UK, Turkey, China, Poland, Israel, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.

The Giveaway
Enter to win 1 of ten finished copies of Fires & Flood. *US only*
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule
Week One:
2/17/2014- Two Chicks on BooksGuest Post
2/17/2014- Curling Up With A Good BookReview
2/18/2014- No BS Book ReviewsReview
2/19/2014- FiktshunGuest Post
2/19/2014- Ketch's Book NookReview
2/20/2014- Step Into FictionReview
2/21/2014- Bewitched BookwormsInterview
2/21/2014- Seeing Night ReviewsReview
Week Two:
2/24/2014- BookishInterview
2/24/2014- NerdophilesReview
2/25/2014- The Book CellarReview
2/26/2014- The Irish Banana ReviewReview
2/26/2014- Cuddlebuggery- Guest Post
2/27/2014- Obsession with BooksReview
2/28/2014- Mundie MomsInterview & Review
2/28/2014- iceyBooksReview

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Recent Cassie News: TLH, TID, TMI Timeline, Shadowhunter Tarot Cards & The Bane Chronicles


Happy Friday Shadowhunters! Just in case you missed some of Cassie's recent posts she has made on Tumblr, here they are. Be sure to follow her on Tumblr if you already aren't. 

In which Cassie talks about TLH, TID & TMI. Taken from her recent post here.

Hey Cassie, sorry to bother you but I have a quick question. When is TLH set? Like, how long after TID? — twaresexgods
It’s set in 1903. TID was set in 1878. 
A super-quickie timeline missing some bits: 
The Runaway Queen 1791
What Really Happened in Peru 1791
Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale 1857
Clockwork Angel 1878
Clockwork Prince 1878
Clockwork Princess 1878
The Midnight Heir — 1903
The Last Hours — 1903-1904 (We know the titles are Chain of Thorns, Chain of Gold, and Chain of Iron, but not which is book 1, 2 or 3 ;)
The Rise of the Hotel Dumort 1929
Saving Raphael Santiago 1953
The Fall of the Hotel Dumort 1977
The Last Stand of the New York Institute 1989
City of Bones August 2007
City of Heavenly Fire December 2007-on into 2008
The Dark Artifices: 2012
Hi Cassandra! I was wondering, are Charles Fairchild and Matthew Fairchild brothers? — eyeslikeidris
Yes. They are Henry and Charlotte’s children. Charles is 24. Matthew is 17.
Was the reason that Will and Tessa’s daughter was named “Lucie” because “Lucie” was a character in one of Will and Tessa’s favorites books, The Tale of Two Cities? — multifandomgirl101
I love your books! I just saw the character portraits for the Last Hours and loved them but what has been bugging me is that I haven’t seen a portrait of Sophie from the Infernal Devices. She was not on any tarot cards and is there a picture of her I just missed? Will there be one of her in the future? Thanks for your time, just asking because Sophie Collins is one of my favorite characters! — chelseachic
There’s actually two versions of the Sophie card. One has her standing alone as she Ascends:


And the other shows her in gear, with Gideon.



I think Cassandra Jean did a terrific job with both so I am not sure which one will be the final!

I love the Six of Steles card!

Cassie answers some TLH questions.

*Fan made art work, which Cassie shared here.
Hi Cassie! Tessa is my favorite female character and I was wondering on what did she do as the years passed by? Did she train all these years to be a better fighter? Does she continue reading :3? Will we find out in CoHF? — love-herondales
You do find out a little of what Tessa has been background doing in CoHF. She has been much more a scholar than a fighter and in fact the Spiral Labyrinth of the warlocks (mentioned only once before, briefly!) is important in Heavenly Fire.
"So.. my question is.. Will Magnus be in TLH?" — siegemaelstrom
He does appear in TLH. (The Midnight Heir dates his first real reappearance into Will/Tessa/Jem’s lives.) 
In TLH there will be Will and Tessa?
Indeed. They are James and Lucie’s parents, and James and Lucie live with them in the Institute. I don’t know how I’d get rid of them if I wanted to (extended balloon tour!) but I’m happy to have them and write about them as a bit older. The story is not theirs, but the next generation’s, but they are there.

Is there a family tree that encompasses all of the Shadowhunter books? I absolutely adore the series but with all the new releases/reveals am getting a bit lost as to who is related to who and how. — settingfiretoourinsides-forfun
Here is the family tree that exists that should clear up connections between Infernal Devices and TLH . Only 5 years passes between TMI and TDA, and the blood relationships between the characters isn’t super important — also I think it’s hard to keep track of relationships between characters who you don’t yet know, but once the books are real things, and you meet the characters, it’s a lot easier.

I was wondering if will herondale will be in TLH
I’m sensing a theme. :)


Some how I missed this post Cassie made a couple weeks back about The Bane Chronicles.
The Course of True Love (And First Dates) detailing Alec and Magnus’ first date is done and turned in! Which means the Bane Chronicles is basically finished. The story should be out for ereaders in March (the print book sometimes in November/December.) My cowriters were kind enough to give me the Alec and Magnus’ date chapter so I could write kissingcharacter development. Herewith a sneak peek.
The kiss caught fire and all he could see behind his closed eyes were gold sparks, all he was aware of was Alec’s mouth, Alec’s strong gentle hands that had held down a werewolf and tried not to hurt her, Alec pressing him against the banister so the rotten wood creaked alarmingly and Magnus did not even care. Alec here, Alec now, the taste of Alec in his mouth, his hands pushing aside the fabric of his own worn t-shirt to get at Alec’s bare skin underneath. 

Epic Reads's UNDER THE NEVER SKY Guides


Check out what Epic Reads just posted! It's an EPIC Under The Never Sky post that includes a detailed map of the characters and the landscape. Go HERE to find out more, and to see a bigger picture of both maps.

Character Guide

Landscape Map

My Under The Never Sky heart is full fledge fangirl mode right now. I love books and maps. I'm seriously loving this right now. 

**All images are from Epic Reads**





Wednesday, February 26, 2014

WHITE HOT KISS by Jennifer L. Armentrout; Blog Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway


Welcome to today's WHITE HOT KISS tour stop! I am so thrilled to be kicking off the tour. WHITE HOT KISS hit shelves yesterday, and you can read my glowing review for it HERE. This is one of my favorite reads. Everyone that's visited Mundie Moms for awhile knows what a huge Jennifer Armentrout fan I am. I absolutely LOVE her books. I'm so thrilled that Jennifer is on the blog today to talk bout her newest release. First, here's a little bit about White Hot Kiss. 

About WHITE HOT KISS


By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Released on: February 25th, 2014
Series: The Dark Elements Book #1
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo
Add it to Goodreads
One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.


MundieMoms JLA Interview


Hi Jennifer! Congratulations on the release of WHITE HOT KISS. I loved this book. I have to ask, are you Team hot Demon or Team Gargoyle? Lol  
I’m Team Hot Demon and Team Hot Gargoyle because both guys have something to offer that I think is appealing.

Layla is such a great character to read about. What was one of the things you admired about her? 
 I admire that Layla doesn’t let her background own her as she finds out more about herself.

You've done it again..... you've written two great guys that were so fun to get to know. What is one of your favorite moments between Layla and Zayne? What was one of your favorite scenes to write with Layla and Roth?  
I don’t want to give too much away by giving a detailed answer to this question.  But, there’s a scene when Roth is taking care of Layla that I like a lot, and then there’s a scene near the end of the book with Zayne that shows his relationship with Layla that is also one of my favorites.

I love how you combine snark, and those swoon worthy moments that I've come to except in your books. What element do you have the most fun writing? 
I tend to be really sarcastic and snarky, so I usually have a lot of fun writing the banter between my characters. 

Your world building is fabulous. I loved the idea of having gargoyles & demons live among the human world. What fascinated you the most about the world that both your Gargoyles and your Demons live in? 
I wanted to write about something different, and I thought gargoyles and demons would be interesting.  I like that in their world in the book the gargoyles aren’t this big secret that’s kept from everyone. 

What one of your favorite lines to write in White Hot Kiss?  
There’s a scene in the stairwell between Roth and Layla when Roth says “I think I’m definitely becoming a real boy”.  That was one of my favorite lines, and actually on of my favorite conversations, to write in the book.

I love the secondary characters you have in each of your series, because they always play such a big part in your books. Which of your secondary characters did you have the most fun getting to know in White Hot Kiss? 
I think that Stacey is a fun character because she really has no filter.  It’s always fun to write a character that will say anything.

Your female characters are AWESOME! I love that they each of their flaws, are incredibly strong, and in some way or another you make them relatable, no matter what world they're apart of. Why is it important for you to give readers strong female characters?  
Honestly, I love reading books with strong female characters, and I tend to give my own characters personalities that I would enjoy reading. 

What are you working on next that you can tell us about?  
I’m currently writing The Return which is a NA spinoff series that features Seth from the Covenant Series.

Have you read any YA books lately that you'd recommend we go pick up? 
 I loved Uninvited by Sophie Jordan.

*****************

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Find Jennifer via

The Giveaway
Thank you to InkSlinger & Harlequin Teen, I've got 1 copy of WHITE HOT KISS to giveaway to one lucky reader! To enter, please fill out the form below *OPEN INTERNATIONALLY*:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow The Tour

February 26
MundieMoms-Author Interview
February 27
Vilma’s Book Blog-Character Interview (Layla)
February 28
Paranormal Reads-DreamCast
March 1
March 2
March 3
Stuck in Books-Character Interview (Roth)
March 4
March 5
March 6
Novel Novice-Excerpt
March 7
Reading Teen-Author Interview

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