Mundie Moms

Thursday, August 30, 2018

. @CassieClare Shares New 'Queen of Air And Darkness' Snippet / #QOAAD #Shadowhunters


There's only a few more months left until this book is finally out! In her recent newsletter this week, Cassie treated her fans to a new snippet. Here's what she shared:

“If we’re an army, what are we called?” said Simon.

Julian turned and unpinned the rolled-up canvas hanging on the wall behind him, which had been held in place with tacks. A gasp went up as it unfurled.

Julian had painted a banner, the kind an army would carry before it in wartime. The central item was a saber, point down, painted a shimmering pale gold. Behind the saber spread a pair of angel’s wings, while on each side clustered symbols of Downworld—a star for vampires, a spell book for warlocks, a moon for werewolves, and a four-leafed clover for faeries.

Dangling from the hilt of the saber, so small many would not be able to see it, was a locket with a circle of thorns on the front.

“We are called Livia’s Watch,” Julian said, and Emma saw Ty sit up straighter in his chair. “We carry this banner in honor of my sister, so that all who have been hurt by the Cohort will not be forgotten.”
 


Along with this snippet, Cassie also shared a sneak peak into the book's artwork in her recent newsletter. Here's what Cassie shared about the collection of pictures she shared in newsletter:

Kathleen Jennings, who created the interior artwork for the 10th Anniversary edition of City of Bones, has returned to the Shadowhunter world to do an interior illustration for Queen of Air and Darkness! I’m thrilled to be working with her again, and I thought you might enjoy seeing some of her work-in-progress shots. It’s always great fun to see a project go from the sketch stage to a finished illustration.

The pictures she's shared look amazing. Here's a couple of those pictures she shared.





Snippet from The Mortal Instruments Graphic Novel Vol. 2 by Cassandra Clare & Cassandra Jean / #Shadowhunters #TheMortalInstruments


On August 23rd our favorite mundane, Clary, celebrated her 27th birthday. To celebrate, Cassie Clare shared a snippet from The Mortal Instruments Graphic Novel, Volume Two by Cassandra Clare & Cassandra Jean. This volume will be out on October 30th, 2018! Here's the birthday snippet she shared:



You can pre-order your copy now from: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | iBooks

Ghosts of the Shadow Market #6: The Wicked Ones by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman / Spotlight #GOTSM #Shadowhunters


The next installment in the GHOSTS OF THE SHADOW MARKET will be out in just a couple of weeks! THE WICKED ONES by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman is the 6th installment and will be out on September 11th! 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Celine Montclaire goes to the Shadow Market to escape. She would go anywhere in Paris, or the entire world, to escape the suffering she experiences at the hands of her family. She did not expect to meet Valentine Morgenstern there, or to have him promise her freedom and the heart of the man she secretly loves. On one condition, of course. At the Shadow Market, nothing is for free.

Pre-order your copy from Amazon | B&N | Kobo 

If you haven't already, now is a great time to get your e-copy of the first 5 books to read before The Wicked Ones is out. 

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

THESE REBEL WAVES by Sara Raasch / Book Review #TheRebelWaves


By: Sara Raasch
Published by: Epic Reads
Released on: August 7th, 2018
Series: Stream Raiders #1
Purchase from: Harper Collins | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound   
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars 
Thank you to the publisher for providing an arc/copy of the book in exchange for my honest review


A thrilling new fantasy series—full of deadly magic, double crosses, and a dangerous quest in a new world—from Sara Raasch, the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series.
Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Agrid, a country ruled by religion.
But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something dangerous is at work.
Devereux is a pirate. As one of the stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he scavenges the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.
Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.
As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace.

The first book in a brand new series from one of my favorite fantasy series authors, These Rebel Waves is an introduction to a new series full of magic, danger, betrayal, twists and turns, family loyalty and mixed with a bit of the character chemistry I love. Beginning with rich world building, and slower in plot pace, gives way to a second half that is a fast paced, action packed, and full of deadly twists and turns. Told in three alternating points of views, this story is full of surprises, suspense and in the end will leave you wanting more. 

Adeluna (Lu) is the kind of heroine I loved rooting for. She's a solider and the former rebel spy. She's an excerpt when it comes to magic, and getting herself out of tough situations. She's quick thinking, an over all bad a, and one tough character who was easy to cheer on. She definitely meets her match with Vex. 

Devereux (Vex) is the resident bad boy in this book. He's a pirate / Stream Raider, and captain of his band of misfits. He's a smooth talker, a fighter, and while he's rough around the edges, there's a lot more to this character than meets the eye. I enjoyed getting to know him along side Lu. 

Benat (Ben) is the crown Prince of Argrid. He's a heretic, harbors a secret that could get him killed, and what you could say is a huge science nerd. Like Lu, he understands a lot about the magic. Lu and Vex are street smart characters, Ben is definitely more of the book nerd type. He's also the character I felt I understood the least until the very end of the book. His points of views weren't nearly as interesting as Lu and Vex's, though Ben's set up the more political and religious side of the story.

Vex and Lu have a chemistry that can definitely ignite the scenes they're in. They both know how to get out of impossible situations, and may even use that against each other a time or two. There's definitely no escaping the effects they have on each other. Their scenes made for some swoon worthy moments, as well as some laugh out loud ones. They definitely know how to get under each other's skin.

This book's world is complex, and dangerous. The world itself is one that is vividly detailed, and well explained. In understanding the world, readers than understand the choices the characters are making, and the consequences they've suffered through out the book. There is both a magical system and a darker political one in this story. When at odds with each other, it creates a deadly, dangerous world. I loved seeing the mix of fantasy, and science in this book. 

These Rebel Waves is a thrilling first book and great introduction to a new series. This book is full of rich details that make this world visually come to life. In the beginning of the story it definitely felt like a lot of information, but in the end, it gives way to plenty of action, deadly twists, shocking betrayal, and an unforgettable adventure. That cliffhanger ending will leave you wanting more, and will make you wish the sequel was already out. 

*There is some mild language in this book, including the use of the f-word, that may not be suitable for younger YA readers. 

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

RUIN OF STARS by Linsey Miller / Blog Tour + Read An Except + Enter To WIN! #RuinOfStars



Welcome to one of the first stops in the RUIN OF STARS spotlight blog tour hosted by Sourcebooks Fire. I'm thrilled to partner up with them to celebrate TODAY'S release of Linsey Miller's sequel to Mask of Shadows. Today's post includes an except from the book, and a giveaway! Be sure to read the full post, and don't forget to enter to WIN! First, about the book:

ABOUT THE BOOK

By: Linsey Miller 
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
Released on: August 28th, 2018 - TODAY
Series: Mask of Shadows #2
Purchase from: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
Add it to Goodreads

The thrilling conclusion to the Mask of Shadows duology that weaves a tale of magic, shadows, and most importantly, revenge.

As one of the Queen’s elite assassins, Sal finally has the power, prestige, and permission to hunt down the lords who killed their family. But Sal still has to figure out who the culprits are. They must enlist the help of some old friends and enemies while ignoring a growing distaste for the queen and that the charming Elise is being held prisoner by her father.

But there’s something terribly wrong in the north. Talk of the return of shadows, missing children, and magic abounds. As Sal takes out the people responsible for their ruined homeland, Sal learns secrets and truths that can’t be forgotten.


PRAISE FOR RUIN OF STARS

“Sal’s strong-willed personality and rich emotions create a protagonist who continues to shine” —Booklist

“Sal is intriguing and their genderfluidity adds depth to their personality. The narrative deals with issues of mystery, self-identity, and revenge. The ending provides a sense of closure, while leaving the door ajar for further adventures.” —VOYA Magazine


READ AN EXCERPT 

Chapter One
A
hand snuffed out the light. I leaned over the edge of the greenhouse trellis, wooden beams creaking beneath me. The guards, as they had done every night I’d been spying, left soon as Lord del Aer tucked his daughter in, and they followed him through the halls of his estate. His daughter’s room was left unguarded except for the ones patrolling the grounds. He couldn’t comprehend someone killing his child to get at him.
I could.
I could because of him.
Lord Mattin del Aer was a good father and a terrible leader.
North Star. Deadfall. Riparian. Caldera. Winter.
The five secret names of the Erlend nobles who allowed Nacea to be destroyed by shadows. I knew only North Star, Caldera, and Winter by their real names—Gaspar del Weylin, Mattin del Aer, and Nevierno del Farone. I heard his name in my nightmares of the massacre he’d caused. I felt it on my skin every time I wore my Opal mask. I tasted it every time I muttered the last words my targets would ever hear.
Caldera. Caldera. Caldera.
The fourth Erlend lord on my list to kill and only the second one to die.
I had carved their names into the inside of my mask. Our Queen had named me Opal, her assassin and protector, and given me leave to kill my list. I’d the whole of the Igna court to help me hunt them down.
And the hunt was on.
He was predictable as an Erlend. He rose at dawn, flipped through reports sent to him from the other traitor Erlend lords who’d seceded from Igna barely two months ago, woke his daughter for breakfast, and spent the day with a series of advisers, guards, and tutors, each more boring than the last. He did not hear his citizens’ concerns or worries.
He didn’t talk to them at all, just told them war was upon us and the time to take up arms and reclaim Erlend was now. Didn’t even speak to them in person to draft them. The flyers went up overnight, and the rangers from North Star’s stronghold up north went out hunting for dodgers the next day.
War. Again. Always. Never ending so long as North Star and his Erlend lords still clung to power and greed. There’d been no attacks yet. Only the dead, stripped of clothes and skin and life, strung up across the trees near the border.
We figured they were folks speaking out against the war. Wasn’t much left of them to identify.
Wouldn’t be much of Caldera left either after I was done with him.
Caldera’s daughter snored. I slid a knife from its sheath, slipping the point beneath the glass pane of her window. She slept on, and I pushed the window up, the oil I’d squeezed into the tracks last night keeping it quiet. A paper shade or shutters would’ve been easier, but this worked just as well. They’d wonder how I entered with no shades cut or shutters broken. They’d think the killer a shadow.
I looked like one at least. The Left Hand of Our Queen—Emerald, Amethyst, Opal, and Ruby—were her royal assassins and named for the rings she wore. And I, the new Opal, had been gifted six masks. Three of bone white and three of pure midnight blue, the sort of purplish black that made you think of deep caves and missing stars. I’d carved my list into each one.
North Star. Deadfall. Riparian. Caldera. Winter.
The Erlend nobles who’d let the shadows tear my family to shreds, who’d ten years to atone for hundreds of thousands of deaths and done nothing, would know me as I knew them.
Bitterly. Painfully. A wound so raw it still ached in the night when the dark twisted like mage shadows. They’d made my whole world a nightmare.
And I would be theirs.
Caldera’s daughter shifted, blankets tumbling to the floor, and I crawled into her room, knife slicing through the leftover smoke of her reading candle. The key to her father’s study, one of only two, hung from the chain round her neck. I unhooked the chain from her head and took the key. I had to return it.
It would be better, Our Queen had said to me, one hand clutching my chin, if Caldera’s fellows thought no doors or locks or guards could keep them safe.
“Let Erlend think we have made shadows anew and sent them after the nobles who betrayed us,” she’d said. “After all, they made you the same way they made the shadows—through violence and fear.”
I’d not given her an answer, didn’t think she’d deserved one yet, not with so many deaths staining her soul, but she was right.
I was Our Queen’s Honorable Opal, and I would kill Caldera as she saw fit.
If I did, she’d let me have the other lords on my list, and I wasn’t passing that up.
North Star. Winter.
They would be mine and mine alone.
I tucked the blanket back around Caldera’s daughter and left. I could comprehend killing his kid to get at him, but I wasn’t him. Caldera’s daughter was no more at fault for her father’s deeds than Elise was for hers, and only Caldera was dying tonight.
The hallway outside her room was empty. I pressed my ear to the door of his study, the only room with a lock on the outside and inside. Nothing. Too thick for me to hear through and too thick for folks to hear Caldera scream. I unlocked it, muffling the click with my hand, and darted inside. The mechanisms reset behind me.
Caldera was talking to himself. He gestured to the windowless walls, hands flying through the air and back to me. A map twice as tall as me and even longer detailed the continent in deep forest greens, wheat yellow, and spring-water blue. The sliver of coastal land to the east of Erlend was labeled as Erlend too, but instead of rolling green hills, the cartographer had scratched it out in black and labeled it Fallow. Only the northernmost tip of Nacea, the little snaggletooth of land embedded in North Star’s mountain range home, was green. It was labeled as Erlend.
“Absurd!” Caldera flung the letter he’d been reading aside and ran his fingers through his long, light hair. “That woman is absurd.”
I walked up behind him till I was close enough to taste the gold-cold scent of his gilded form and the lantern behind me cast three flickering shadows against the wall. He froze.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “You won’t have to deal with her much longer.”
He shrieked and tried run. I grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him down, sending him flailing to the floor.
“No one can hear you, Caldera.” No windows. No guards. No threat of being interrupted since the only two keys to the door were in this locked room. “No one is coming to help.”
He crawled to his knees and pulled a chair between us. “How did you get—”
I pulled out his daughter’s key.
“How well do you know your daughter?” I dropped it, let it clatter between us, and pulled out a second knife. “I watched the shadows you let loose in Nacea flay my family. I know every bloody part of them. Do you know what your daughter’s bones look like?”
He whimpered and I lived, furious and alive, Sallot Leon, auditioner Twenty-Three, and Opal all crushed together by his hands. He didn’t know fear like me. He didn’t know anything.
“Please,” he said. “Please, I don’t know anything. Don’t kill me.”
I leapt over the chair and grabbed him, dragging him to the center of the floor. He was tall and broad, healthier and heavier than most folks I’d fought, and he ripped from my grasp once. I let him know freedom for a breath.
“Help!” He stumbled into the wall, knocking over a lamp and leaving the room at the mercy of one single candle. “Help me!” He pounded against the door.
I laughed, and it echoed between my mouth and mask. The sound died too quick to be natural.
“You’re Caldera. Your old flame Lena told me. No one likes you.” I leaned over him, and my two shadows flickering at my feet followed. “She only nodded when I said you’d been responsible for killing a whole country. Said it sounded like you. Was it you?”
Lena was one of the only Erlend nobles to stand with Igna and pledge her loyalty to Our Queen again, and she’d given me Caldera’s name. He’d tried to marry her once, to get ownership of her land back when they’d both been Erlend and Erlend land could only be inherited by Erlend lords, and he’d told her his secrets to make her fall in love.
“It wasn’t my idea.” He choked on the words.
I stepped on his ankle. “But you agreed to it.”
“I’m sorry.” He flinched. “I’m sorry. I am. I have been since it happened, all those people. I didn’t want to, but they made me.”
“Who?” I asked, and when he shook his head, no names ready, I pulled out my knife. “Who went by the names Riparian and Deadfall?”
“I don’t know.” He raised his arms like a shield. “I don’t know. Other than North Star, we never shared.”
He took my silence for consideration. “I’ve regretted it since. What do you want? Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“You’ve nothing I want.” I took his tear-streaked face in my hands. “Apologies won’t bring my family back. They won’t clear the shadows from my mind. They won’t change anything at all except the weight of your guilt.”
I pulled him up.
“And it’s not heavy enough for what you did.”
I jammed my knife into his chest, watched his last breath leave his lips, and dropped him.
“If you were sorry,” I said to his corpse, “you’d not be doing it again.”
The gaping wound in my soul that never healed and ached with each breath only grew deeper at the sight of him. Each breath was cold and empty, a sharp pain between my heart and ribs. I was split—the Sallot Leon that could’ve been if Nacea stood whole, one that knew all of their nation’s rituals and words, and the Sallot Leon that was, one that knew only the press of five names against their face and the fractured bones that came from offering mercy. I’d let Winter live at Elise’s request, and he’d thrown me from a window. Folks devoted so deeply to themselves never changed.
They stole and stole and stole.
“Nothing can fix this.” I rifled through his desk and shelves, turning over every scrap of paper for anything Our Queen would find useful. “Nothing can help me, but I can help the world.”
Erlend had reduced us to nothing, to casualties in a ledger. They would do it again. I couldn’t let that happen.
A fake wall shifted under my fingers. I pried the thin wood away from the bottom of his desk drawer and shoved my hand into the space. Papers crinkled. I grabbed them all.
Scraps and envelopes heavy with broken seals tumbled to the floor. I bent to pick them up.
Not seals. Not wax. An ear.

A tattered, runed human ear.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR



A wayward biologist from Arkansas, Linsey previously worked as a crime lab intern, neuroscience lab assistant, and pharmacy technician. She can be found writing about science and magic anywhere there’s coffee. Visit her online at linseymiller.com.

Website | Twitter | Instagram 


ENTER TO WIN!

Thank you to the publisher, two (2) lucky readers will each win a copy of RUIN OF STARS. This giveaway is open to readers in the US & Canada. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you read Mask of Shadows, you'll definitely want to pick up this book. This is the rare instance where I liked the sequel even more so than the first book. It doesn't waste any time thrusting readers right back into the story. My review for it will be up later this week. 

OUT TODAY! 8/28/18 New YA Releases


Happy Book Birthday to today's newest YA releases! Here is what you'll find out on bookstore shelves TODAY! 



Which new releases are you looking forward to reading?

Monday, August 27, 2018

. @CassieClare Shares New 'QOAAD' Snippet / #MundaneMonday #QOAAD #Shadowhunters


Happy Mundane Monday Shadowhunter fans. Yesterday marked 100 days until the release of Queen of Air And Darkness! We can not wait. In celebration of the 100 days, here is what Cassie shared yesterday on social media:

#100daysuntilqoaad 100 days before I get to share Queen of Air and Darkness with you! I can’t wait. Have a little snippet to celebrate: “I’m here on my own account,” Magnus said, in a low and distant voice. “I need your help. There is absolutely no one else that I can ask.” “That’s not what I …” Julian pushed sopping-wet hair out of his eyes, his voice trailing off in realization. “You’re remembering someone.”

Who do you think Magnus is remembering? My first guess is Will. Now I'm really curious about this entire scene, and who Magnus is remembering. 

Friday, August 24, 2018

MOTHER KNOWS BEST: A TALE OF THE OLD WITCH By Serena Valentino/ Giveaway #DisneyVillainsBooks


Happy Friday! I am thrilled to partner with Disney Hyperion to giveaway the complete VILLAINS series. In celebration of the release of the 5th book in this series, MOTHER KNOWS BEST: A TALE OF THE OLD WITCH, one lucky winner will receive the complete Villains book series. First, here's a little bit about the newest release: 


ABOUT THE BOOK

By: Serena Valentino 
Published by: Disney Hyperion 
Released on: August 7th, 2018
Series: VILLAINS Series, Book #5
Ages: 12 & up
Purchase fromAmazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Indie Bound

The Disney VILLAINS series by Serena Valentino explores how the antagonists in Disney movies became some of storytelling's most iconic villains. In the first five VILLAINS books, we see how the Evil Queen, the Beast, Ursula, Maleficent, and Mother Gothel fall into darkness, through the instigation of the mysterious Odd Sisters: Lucinda, Martha, and Ruby.

The tale of the legendary golden flower is widely known. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the flower is coveted by an old witch to keep herself young and beautiful. And always the flower is used to save a dying queen, who then gives birth to a princess with magical hair. Not willing to lose the flower, the old witch steals the princess and locks her away in a high tower, raising her as her own. But the princess always finds out who she truly is and manages to defeat the old witch.

And yet this is only half the story. So what of the old witch, Mother Gothel? Where does she come from? And how does she come across the magical golden flower? 

Here is one account that recounts a version of the story that has remained untold for centuries . . . until now. It is a tale of mothers and daughters, of youth and dark magic. 

It is a tale of the old witch.


BOOKS IN THE SERIES




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Serena Valentino has been weaving tales that combine mythos and guile for the past decade. She has earned critical acclaim in both the comic and horror domains, where she is known for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty, and extraordinary protagonists. The books in her best-selling VILLAINS series are best enjoyed when read in the following order: Fairest of AllThe Beast WithinPoor Unfortunate SoulMistress of All EvilMother Knows Best.


FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

Hashtag: #DisneyVillainsBooks
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Follow Serena Valentino on: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram


ENTER TO WIN


Enter to win a WICKEDLY FUN READING pack! There’s always two sides to every story – find out for yourself. One (1) winner will receive a set of all 5 VILLAINS books!

Giveaway open to US addresses only.
Prizing and samples provided by Disney Book Group.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

OUT TODAY! 8/21/18 New YA Releases


Happy Book Birthday to today's newest YA releases! Here's what you'll find on bookstore shelves today:


Which new releases are you looking forward to reading?

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