Mundie Moms

Monday, February 6, 2012

City of Lost Souls Editions

Just in case you missed the exciting news that Cassie posted on Tumblr tonight, here's where you can except to buy the different edition of COLS (yes, different stores will have different content in their books). No, this is NOT something Cassie has any say over. Below is taken directly from her post which I linked to above.

Lots of people have been asking me about what special content might turn up in City of Lost Souls (everyone’s getting used to the crazy special content thing, I think.) There is a lot of it this time — four different editions. And even though I don’t have the information for any foreign editions (except Canada!) yet, this is what I do know:

Special Content:

IN THE US:

BARNES AND NOBLE will be carrying their own special edition. It will contain a letter from Stephen Herondale (Jace’s real father) to Jace, written before he died. It will be detachable and affixed to the back of the book.

WALMART will be carrying its own special edition. It will contain the short story “A Dark Transformation” about how Jonathan Morgenstern took over the identity of Sebastian Verlac.

COSTCO will be carrying its own special edition. It will contain “The Act of Falling”: the “alleyway kiss” from City of Fallen Angels from Jace’s perspective.

Target will be carrying its own special edition: the short story “A Question of Power” in which Alec and Camille talk about Magnus and his father.

In Canada:

INDIGO/CHAPTERS will be carrying the same special edition as BARNES AND NOBLE in the US. COSTCO CANADA will be carrying the same edition as COSTCO US.

In Australia/In the UK:

Still waiting on this info.

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***As far as I know, no special content comes with e-books/kindles/nooks. [Because no one expects anyone to buy more than one copy of the book, ALL THIS SPECIAL CONTENT WILL BE POSTED ONLINE AFTER AN EXCLUSIVITY PERIOD OF BETWEEN 3-6 MONTHS. So just pick whichever you think you’d like to own/would be your favorite, and know you can read the others online for free down the road.

Book Review: Dead To You by Lisa McMann


Published by: Simon Pulse
To Be Released on: Feburary 7th, 2012 TOMORROW
Source: ARC from publisher to review
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable.. -quoted from Goodreads

A dark, realistic read that's chilly, horrifying, and mysterious. This is an emotional gripping read that will hold you captive until the very last page.

In true Lisa McMann style she managed to yet again emotionally pull me into her book and totally take me for unexpected emotional roller-coaster of a ride. Let me first say, realistic contemporary books are normally not my thing, but it became my thing, because Lisa wrote it. I'm a HUGE fan of Lisa's. She isn't afraid to bring the gritty realism to her books and boy or boy does she do that in Dead to You. The other reason why I don't like books like this is, because I already do the "what if's" in my head, and I don't want to read about it. It makes me all the more paranoid as a parent (don't laugh). With the type of society we live in now, this book will hit home with a lot of readers.

I felt like Lisa gave me an inside view on what it is like for a family who's son was abducted nine years prior, to get him back and some what put the pieces of their lives together. It's not as easy as I would think, well it's not like I thought it would be easy, and it definitely has it's challenges. Everyone has changed, and grown up in different ways. The family dynamics are different, Ethan has changed, his brother is extremely suspicious of him, and Ethan has a little sister he never met. The one thing that doesn't change is the love his parent's have for him, especially his mother's.

Sadly for Ethan he doesn't really remember any of them, or his life before his abduction. That's where I can understand his brother's suspicions of him and the hurt Blake has towards Ethan for getting in the car with strangers in the first place all those years ago. It's also perfectly normal for Ethan not to remember, as often times kids who are abducted don't always remember their lives prior to the trauma their experience during this time. Lisa literally puts the readers inside Ethan and his family's shoes. I felt like I was able to understand the various emotions everyone felt and why. There are so many things that are happening all at the same time. Life has gone on and yet stayed on hold at the same time for this family. I literally can not even begin to imagine what this is really like to deal with, nor would I ever want anyone to experience this. It's heartbreaking, gut wrenching and heartwarming all at the same time.

There's moments were things are okay, and moments were I understand Ethan's out bursts, and even Blake's for that matter. Just as things start to settle into what is going to be a normal routine for the family Lisa throws in one heck of an emotionally, rip your heart out scene that is both horrifying, and realistically fitting. It's a scene where everything comes together and it left me thinking "no way" and "now that makes sense" all at the same time. All I can say is this book will leave you feeling raw. If you're a mom, it's one that will make you want to hug your kiddos tighter tonight. Lisa really does a remarkable job at making this story feel real and she did a brilliant job at emotionally pulling me right into it. There is some mild language in the book and a few uses of the F bomb.

Author Interview: Veronica Rossi

I'm extremely excited to have Veronica Rossi on Mundie Moms today!! I am in love with her debut, Under A Never Sky. If you've not picked it up yet, I highly recommend that you do!


Thank you so much for joining us today Veronica! Sophie and I both LOVE your debut book! The title is so fitting for the book. Did you choose Under The Never Sky as your title?


Thank you so much! I’m so happy to be here. OK! Down to business: I knew that, because of the Aether, the sky would play a major role in the trilogy. When I wrote that line of dialogue in the story, it struck me as the right title. Fortunately, my agent and editor agreed!


We LOVE your world building. It's fascinating to have characters who can create their own reality, and to have a setting that felt like it's own character. What inspired your world? If you could, what kind of reality would you pick for yourself?


The world was inspired by a number of different factors. I think a good deal about technology and the influence it has on my life—so that shaped the Dweller world. I also have always loved weather… My moods can be so tied to whether I see rain, sun or snow outside, and I wanted to create that link between the characters and the Aether. Along the same lines, I love the power that things like fire and the ocean have over us. Why is a campfire so mesmerizing? Why is the sound of the ocean so soothing? Does it connect us with some deep, primal part of ourselves? I’m starting to get a little carried away here J But those are some of the questions I played around with to create the Outsiders. Essentially, the world resulted from me riffing on—and contrasting--past and future.


And as for which reality I’d pick…. probably art Realm! There are so many paintings I’d love to step into. I also have an obsession with ancient Rome so maybe I’d go there, too.


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the history between Roar and Perry. They're friendship and respect for one another is so well written. Roar has quickly become a favorite of both mine and Sophie's. Was their friendship based on one you knew in real life?


Thank you! I love hearing this! I didn’t base them on anyone in real life. I just had a strong sense for their dynamic from the start. There’s a lot of mutual admiration and loyalty between them. For a while, I thought I was going to write Roar’s from point of view for the second book, so I really wanted him to be intriguing and present in a concrete way in the first book.


Is there one scene you kept editing till you got it just right for the story line or did you just scratch the scene and write a new one?


To be totally honest, most scenes were like that! There were a few that landed on the page very close to how they ended up. The rooftop scene, where Aria sings to Perry, was one of them. I did very little revision on that one. Same with the berry scene!


Is the opening line in the book the first line you wrote? If not, what was the original opening line?


That was it! Almost every other line changed, but that one stayed


Which of your characters has surprised you the most in terms of how much they grew from first draft to published book?


Hands down, this would be Cinder. Originally, he was close in age to Perry, Roar and Aria. I kept writing and writing, really struggling to find him. It wasn’t until I made him younger that he clicked into place and became much more dimensional and interesting to me.


If you could write in one of your favorite fictional characters into your story, who would that be and why?


Oh, this is a fun question! I’d love to either bring Lyra (His Dark Materials/Phillip Pullman) to the outside world, or Titus (Feed/MT Anderson) to the Dweller Pod. Both characters made tremendous impressions on me.


We loved your character chemistry, not just with Perry & Aria, but with each of the characters! That near kiss with the berries is AWESOME! Who's one of your favorite YA couples (I know that's hard to choose)?


Another great question… This is a little obscure because they’re secondary characters, but I was incredibly drawn to Finnick and Annie in THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy. I adored Finnick’s swagger and his devotion to her, and wanted them to be happy so badly!


Thank you Veronica!

Thank you so much!



Be sure to follow Veronica via her Website | Blog | Twitter | on Goodreads | Facebook

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Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky. -quoted from Goodreads

If you haven't had the chance to pick up Under the Never Sky, what are you waiting for!?! I LOVE this book! It is a brilliantly written debut and I highly recommend picking up.

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You can purchase Under The Never Sky from: Harper Teen | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |IndieBound

Browse inside the book via Harper Teen

You can read my 5 star review here

Must Have Middle Grade Reads/Book Review: Fairy Lies by E.D. Baker

Welcome to this week's edition of Must Have Middle Grade Reads, a weekly feature here on Mundie Moms where I spotlight last week's middle grade books I reviewed on Mundie Kids. I just realized I didn't make a post last week here on MM's. You can read my feature for Scholastic's Discover More series on Mundie Kids via my Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post. With having a sick little girl all last week, I didn't get much reading done for MKs, so I don't have a list of middle grade books to spotlight, but I do have a review for a fabulous MG series I highly recommend. E.D. Baker's Fairies series. Her newest release: Fairy Lies is out on 2/14/12

Published by: Bloomsbury Kids
To Be Released on: February 14th, 2012
Source: ARC from TLA/ book from publisher to review
5 stars: I Loved It!
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Series: Book #2, sequel to Fairy Wings

In this delightful sequel to Fairy Wings (originally titled Wings) the fairy princess Tamisin has been kidnapped from her home in the human world by Oberon, king of the fairies, who thinks he’s her father. When Tamisin’s boyfriend Jak finds out, he sets off to rescue her. In this funny and heartwarming romp through a land of fairies, goblins, sphinxes, unicorns, and many more, Tamisin and Jak try to regain their romance even as they find their way back to the human world.

E. D. Baker is a master of the madcap world of magical creatures and she demonstrates once more that a clever girl who shows a dose of kindness, humor, and common sense can overcome almost any fearsome foe, no matter how magical - quoted from Goodreads

A magical, exciting sequel that ventures back to the fey world. Princess Tamisin finds herself a victim of a kidnapping, meets the father she didn't realize existed, and quickly learns that not everything is as it seems in the fey world. Now I know why so many middle graders rave about E.D.'s books. She's a fabulous story teller and though I didn't read the first book in this series, I loved this story. It wasn't hard at all for me to follow along with what's going on. I'm a huge fan of fey lore, and I love it when I stumble upon a series my kids could read (once they get a little older).

A little back story, this series follows the story of Tamisin, a fey Princess who's been living in the human world and in the first book discovers who true identity and that her birth mother is Queen Titania. Being that this is a sequel, I can only venture to guess it picks up right where the first one left off. Wanting to go back and visit her birth mother, Tamisin tries unsuccessfully to get through the fairy gate, that is until she finds herself taken there through means of a kidnapping. Now she's being told her father could be King Oberon, she's starting to lose her memories, someone is out to get her, and she needs to try and stop the war Titania is about to wage on Oberon for kidnapping her daughter. It's up to her to figure things out and her boyfriend, Jak a Cat Goblin who sets off to rescue her.

I thoroughly enjoyed both Tamisin's venture through a the fey world, and Jak's as he sets off to rescue his girlfriend. I loved the world that E.D. has created, and the mix of mythology creatures she uses in her story from fairies, brownies, trolls, goblins, animal goblins, mermaids, harpies and more. The entire world and it's characters were fascinating to me and if I had, had this book when I was a tween I would have loved it! There's a sweet, innocent romance, a tiny bit of action, some fun plot twists and a the mystery behind who's trying to harm Tamisin that keeps this exciting story line moving.

The adventure in this book comes in the form of both Tamisin and Jak's separate adventures through out most of the book. Tamisin is trying to piece things together, and Jak's trying to find her. They both meet a variety of characters who each present them with different challenges, and help them learn more about what's going on in the fey world. I loved the variety of fascinating characters. Normally I like a faster paced, more action packed read with the YA books I read, but being this is a middle grade read I loved the little bit slower pace. I think it fit the story perfectly. It's truly an enjoyable book to sit and read.

I think this is a great series for middle grade readers. It's a cute, clean cut, engaging read with an entire mythological world readers will enjoy being apart of. I'm looking forward to reading more of E.D. books.


Middle Grade Monday:
Don't miss my Marvelous Middle Grade Monday meme on Mundie Kids, a weekly meme hosted by author Shannon Messenger's. Now they'll be double the MG exposure on both blogs and I'm excited about spotlighting this year's upcoming releases.

Mundane Monday #122

Happy Mundane Monday! I hope you guys are all having a great morning. This quote is one of my favorites from CA, and it's one I also have quoted here on the blog.


"Sometimes, when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know that they would do."

- Will, Clockwork Angel, page 224

- Image found here

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