Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts

Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 305
Received: Purchased
Rating: 4 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.



THE GOOD:
Ms. Lu's imagination knows no bounds, but here's the thing: she makes it all BELIEVABLE. Everything she said, I felt myself thinking, "Oh man, what if America ended up like this?" I can see it, and that kinda freaks me out! She builds her world exquisitely, and her characters are always on point. Day is absolutely the most awesome character I've read all year. He is just amazing. The way he grows through the story is awesome, but I think June is the one that grows the most. She is such a BA heroine, and I like that you see her discover the world around her.

THE BAD:
Nothing was necessarily bad, but I did feel like June came to the major revelations all at once, in an info-dumpish kind of way. That was just me, though. Some may like it. I would have liked to have seen a redeeming characteristic in Commander Jameson, and I didn't like that Thomas was so cold-blooded, although I suppose that was the goal of Lu. So you see, the "bad" wasn't bad, it was just personal preferences. :)

OVERALL:
I really enjoyed Lu's world, and I will definitely be getting the second installment when it releases. This was a fun book to read, and by the end I was totally invested. It was a little slow at the beginning, but the world building was necessary, and I appreciated it when the book really started moving. Like I said, Day is probably my favorite character of the year. I would have loved to watch him pull off more shenanigans, and I hope that the second book will provide that. Lu wrote a great book, and I am looking forward to reading the next one.

RATING: 4 of 5 Books


Teaser Tuesday (#9): Above by Leah Bobet


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just click the following link to see the rules. Without further ado, here are my teasers for the week:

  •  "Atticus's eyes have made grown men cower and run for the sewers."
  • "I was upset the first time, and the fifth - afraid she'd run into the bad things in the sewers or tunnels, that she'd make it Above and get caught by the men in white coats; not afraid enough of what scares Atticus, which is the Whitecoats following her back and finding Safe."

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!


100 Follower Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I am so excited to share that Musings of a Write-Aholic is almost to 100 followers after only a little more than a month of existence! I'm so humbled and excited to be part of the blogging community, so I want to give back to all you great followers!

100 Followers Giveaway!

In honor of the followers, I'm giving away a few gifts! 1 copy autographed copy of my book, BRIDGER, copies of both my books BRIDGER and FORBIDDEN in e-book format, two e-copies of my ARC, TRAITOR, and finally a $10 gift certificate.

Here's the skinny, if I hit 100 followers by February 26, those will be the gifts. If I hit 150, the gift certificate jumps to $15, if we reach 200 followers, the gift certificate jumps to $20 and I'll add an additional gift: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (see my review of this awesome book here). So you see, the more followers, the more love!

Simply enter below in the rafflecopter, and be sure to tweet about the giveaway each day to earn more chances to win! 

Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 359
Received: Purchased
Rating: 4 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
The situation at the London Institute has never been more precarious. With Mortmain and his clockwork army still threatening, the Council wants to strip Charlotte of her power and hand the running of the Enclave over to the unscrupulous and power-hungry Benedict Lightwood.

In the hope of saving Charlotte and the Institute, Will, Jem, and Tessa set out to unravel the secrets of Mortmain’s past—and discover unsettling Shadowhunter connections that hold the key not only to the enemy’s motivations, but also to the secret of Tessa’s identity. Tessa, already caught between the affections of Will and Jem, finds herself with another choice to make when she learns how the Shadowhunters helped make her a “monster.” Will she turn from them to her brother, Nate, who has been begging her to join him at Mortmain’s side? Where will her loyalties—and love—lie? Tessa alone can choose to save the Shadowhunters of London…or end them forever.



Oh, Cassandra Clare, how you tease me!!! Gosh! Once again Clare delivers an astounding book, pulling me full-force into Victorian London and refusing to let me up for air. While I wasn't as completely enamored with this book like its predecessor, it's still a great book, and a great lead-in to the upcoming book in the trilogy.

THE GOOD:
Again, Clare manages to make everything feel as though you're standing on the cobbled streets with Tessa, Jem, and Will. You want to reach out and touch the dresses and wipe the soot from your shoulders as it rains down from the factories. I love that! The emotions she makes you feel for the characters, and the fact that you invest in them is evidence to her ability to paint with words. Everyone was in their element, and I loved getting to know Magnus Bane more. I enjoyed seeing more Downworlders, and I'm sure there are even more amazing characters to come in the third book.


THE BAD:
While it may just be me, I just didn't enjoy the love triangle as much as I did in other books. I felt like Tessa should have known better, I don't know. Plus, she was alternating between kissing the guys on every other page. It just didn't seem like she would do that if she truly cared about either one of them. I also felt like there wasn't as much action in this one as the first, and while it doesn't have to be a constant demon-slaying fest, I felt like there should have been a better culmination of good and evil, if you will.


OVERALL:
Clare is a genius. You can tell the dedication and care she puts into the books before she even puts a letter down by the research and thought she puts into the plot line. I can appreciate that immensely, because it makes her settings that much believable. I LOVE that she gives me so much to see and I know that the remainder of her books will not let me down. The only problem now is that I have to wait so long for the third book in this series! Now I'm going to have to go to the Mortal Instruments series to keep me from going crazy. :)


RATING: 4 of 5 Books




Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 476
Received: Purchased
Rating: 5 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.



Cassandra Clare may be one of the most visual writers I have ever experienced. Her ability to completely infuse Victorian London and make me see what Tessa could see was a wonderful, vivid ride, and I can't wait to move onto Clockwork Prince!!

THE GOOD:
Clare's writing is pure visuals. She leaves no stone unturned or its color, texture, and the shadows that it may cast to question. You're thrown into a movie in your head, and it's amazing. It's truly breathtaking. Few authors I've read can truly make me feel like I'm "there"...honestly I think of J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown, but even Dam Brown isn't as vivid. Clare is incredible. Will is amazing. Jem is perfectly imperfect. Both have flaws, but that's what leaves you wanting more. There's no wonderful, amazing, perfect character, and I enjoy that. Embracing the imperfections makes me appreciate the characterizations even more, and Clare excels at it. The twists she sets you on are completely out in left field, but yet they make perfect sense. She sets you up, and you almost want to smack your head because you think, "Holy cow!" and that's a completely, completely good thing. There's nothing that she could have done to make this book more impressive.

THE BAD:
There is none. Truly. It took me a moment to get into the story, but only because I'm usually not a reader of world building stories. Clare has given me a new take on what it means to truly "show" and not "tell" as a writer, and I enjoyed every minute of the lesson. And this shouldn't even be in the "bad" section, so I digress. :)

CONCLUSION:
If you haven't read this book, go get it now! Clare has woven a world and tale so rich that I doubt she could run out of things to tell if she wanted to. I don't think I will ever get tired of her writing style, and I'm diving into Clockwork Prince right NOW! :)

RATING: 5 of 5 Books








Teaser Tuesday (#2): Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just click the following link to see the rules. Without further ado, here are my teasers for the week: 

  •  "Sophie's words came out in a rush. 'He isn't someone you should care for, Miss Tessa. Not like that. He isn't to be trusted, or relied on. He--he isn't what you think he is.'"
  • "'It's alright to love someone who doesn't love you back, as long as they're worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it.'"
--Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!


Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 358
Received: Purchased
Rating: 3 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings.


What did I think of Wither. Hmm...that's a tough one. :-/

THE GOOD:
DeStefano can write. Her prose is flawless and it's an easy read. You can definitely tell she has a degree in English. Gabriel is simply one of the sweetest guys I've read about, and it makes me sad we didn't really get to know him. Hopefully in the second book his character is more fleshed out.

THE BAD:
This book was bad, not at all. It's just the idea of this being a YA book and the context of it war with me. The Hunger Games was much more violent, much darker, but it still felt YA. This felt very adult, and it was hard for me to envision the world the way she painted it. I could see it, sure, I just couldn't swallow it...and that's totally me, not the book. So, I guess really I didn't find the book bad, it just wasn't what I'd imagined it'd be when I picked it up...and that's totally okay, too.

CONCLUSION:
It's not that I didn't enjoy Wither...it's just...it didn't feel YA. The tones and the storyline felt much more adult. The fact that Linden impregnates a 13-year-old and there is no feeling of shame or loss of childhood, save for Rhine's inner thoughts, feels off. I hate to even imagine a world where that would be necessary makes me kind of ill. The fact that the wives talk about sexual positions in order to find a way to become pregnant seems much more of an adult book than YA. It's not that sex doesn't belong in YA. I'm pretty sure YA can be just about anything, including sex. It's just this didn't feel YA. Polygamy, especially at the age of 13, 16, and 18 seems a bit stretched. The fact that Linden was completely oblivious to everything made me annoyed, but not as much as the fact that Rhine felt it was okay to not inform him. She chastised him internally and felt bad for him not having the knowledge, but didn't make any attempt to make him aware. I guess I just kept questioning the characters. I identified the most with Jenna, and she was sadly, one of the shortest-lived characters in the book.

Overall, I didn't not like the book, it just didn't feel right. And that's okay. Actually, that's great, because not every book is for everyone. I will definitely read the second to see what DeStefano brings to the plate in the future, I just wouldn't jump up and down and write home about this book, either. DeStefano is a strong writer and I look forward to reading her subsequent books.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
"And then there's another voice, and my eyes fly open so fast that the room spins. 'Rhine?' Gabriel's voice can reach me anywhere. Even in a hurricane."
~*~
"I always knew I was an excellent liar; I just didn't know I had it in me to fool myself."

RATING: 3 Books

Teaser Tuesday (#1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just click the following link to see the rules. Without further ado, here are my teasers for the week: 
  • "He looked down at me, all sincere and open and with that chaos hair in his eyes and I wanted and didn't want and I had to say something."
  • "I was going to kiss him, and I was going to regret it. But at that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care."
 ---The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin---

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!


Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer


Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 390
Received: Purchased
Rating: 5 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.




Three words: READ. THIS. NOW.

This book is SO much fun! Oh my gosh, I cannot express how much fun this was to read. Seriously, I loved it. I totally devoured it, and I have a 5-month old son to take care of, too. Thank goodness he decided to be good today, because I could NOT put this book down! :)

Seriously, why are you still sitting here, reading this review? GO GET THIS BOOK!

THE GOOD:
Where to begin. Wow. This was just a fantastic read. I loved Cinder, but I really hope that Meyer brings back Iko in the second installment. By ten pages in, I was hooked. This could have gone either way, being an idea of Cinderella, but Meyer made this into such a fantastical ride! I am rooting for Cinder, and I really hop that Emperor Kai gets his act together and ends up going after Cinder to be with her...because HE SHOULD!!! Swoon...Kai. I want more of him. :) Actually, I want more of every bit of this book! Thinking that it could be a year or more before the second one is released makes my heart hurt a little. Or a lot.

THE BAD:
Seriously, there's nothing bad about this book. Yes, it's a spinoff of Cinderella, therefore I could kind of see the plot twists before they came, but the tradeoff of that is the fact that Meyer made this so effortless to read and so DANG fun to read...I'm willing to take that. Gosh, I loved this book. See? I'm saying I loved it in the "bad" section, does that tell you anything? Lol.

CONCLUSION:

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go get this book. This is a stellar debut from Meyer and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of her books. If this is any indication of what's to come, the sky is the limit for her. Now, go write the second, third, fourth books, and give them to us for public consumption! :)




FAVORITE QUOTES:
"All those sticky buns," Iko said as they passed a close-up of the blackened booth.
* * *
"I don't know. I don't actually remember anything from before the surgery."
His eyebrows rose, his blue eyes sucking in all the light of the room. "The cybernetic operation?"
"No, the sex change."
The doctor's smile faltered.
"I'm joking."

RATING: 5 Books

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

GOODREADS BLURB:
"You can't touch me," I whisper.

I'm lying, is what I don't tell him.

He can touch me, is what I'll never tell him.

But things happen when people touch me.

Strange things.

Bad things.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.

But Juliette has plans on her own.

After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.




Okay, wow. Where to start...

This book started off arduous difficult tough to read. The prose was complicated complicated complicated and hard to follow at times.

I really wanted to put the book down.

BUT.

Wow. Once it got going, dialogue picked up, and Adam showed up, I changed my tune. Mafi has TALENT. TALENT TALENT TALENT (and I mean that with no pun alluding to the book at all!) :) I can't wait to read more books from her!

THE GOOD:
I felt everything that Juliette felt. Saw everything she saw. There was no detail that was left out from her emotions, or even how they were processed in her mind. I don't think I've ever felt like I knew a character as intimately as I felt I got to know Juliette. I really was rooting for her the entire time, because she was simply transparent and honest in her thoughts and emotions. Adam is genuinely a good guy. Mafi leaves the book at a sensible point, yet leaves me invested enough to go "I need more pages!" at the end. That's a good thing. :)

THE BAD:
Like I said, I was really struggling to enjoy this book for the first 25%. I only kept going because two good book reviewing buddies told me I needed to and I hate to put a book down, so I did. The prose feels overdone and the constant strikethrough of words is taxing. While I totally understand her point and goal with this idea, I think someone should have put a leash on it at the same time. It works, it really does, it just was a bit overboard in the beginning. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book!

CONCLUSION:
WOW. That's all I've to got to say. This author has a lot of talent, and if you enjoyed Hunger Games, this is definitely the next book you should pick up. The writing is hard to get used to at first, but I promise it's totally worth it to get through the first bit and get to the meat of the story. You won't regret an adventure into this book, and it will definitely leave you wanting more.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Hope is a pocket of possibility."
* * *
"I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction. They want to delete every point of punctuation in my life from this earth and I don't think I can let that happen."

RATING: 4 Books








Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin


GOODREADS BLURB:
Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.




REVIEW:
Wow, I'm so torn! On one hand, I absolutely loved this book. on the other, I had some beefs. Here they are:

THE GOOD:
Oh my word, the descriptions! Loved, loved, loved the detail. I could see all of it, and I appreciated that it wasn't overkill. Hodkin has a knack for this obviously, and she doses it very effectively. Another thing I loved was her ability to truly MAKE me read the next chapter. She didn't end chapters oddly, she simply left just enough of a morsel that you truly couldn't justify not moving on and finding out what happened. Also, her character building and ability to make you care what happened to her characters was good. The evolution of Noah was excellent.

THE BAD:
What happened to Jamie? I felt like Hodkin just let him slip through the cracks. Hopefully this is remedied in the sequel, but it definitely felt like she just decided to stop writing about him. Also, a lot of the wording used felt above YA. Not to say that YA can't have academic words, quite the contrary, but I really had a hard time seeing teens speaking the way they did sometimes. Also, it's literally almost 75% of the way through the book before anything is actually explained. Don't get me wrong, I love a good build up, but making me go that long without good answers just seems a bit exaggerated.

CONCLUSION:
This is a great novel. I read it in 2 days, so it's a pretty quick read. The characters are great, and I'd love to see what's next for Mara and Noah. I will definitely pick up the sequel, but I'm hoping Hodkin will get things rolling a bit quicker next time.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
"My God, you're like the plague."
"A masterfully crafted, powerfully understated, and epic parable of timeless moral resonance? Why thank you. That's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me," he said.
"The disease, Noah. Not the book."
"I'm ignoring that qualification."
 * * *
"I'm more well rounded than you."
"Not possible. You're American," he said. "And if it's true, it's only because you like crap."
"How is it that you have friends, Noah?"
"I ask myself that daily."
* * *
"No, it isn't irrelevant. You want me as much as I want you. And all I want is you."
My tongue warred with my mind. "Today," I whispered.
Noah stood slowly, his body skimming mine as he rose. "Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever." Noah's eyes held mine. His stare was infinite. "I was made for you, Mara."

RATING: 4 Books

The Santa Special Give Away!

Love to read? You've come to the right blog! :)

As you know, this is a new blog, and I thought we'd end the year with a bang! I've collected some of the most awesomesauce authors I know, and they've generously donated their books to fill up someone's shiny kindle/nook/eReader!

For five readers, you will receive both of my books, BRIDGER and FORBIDDEN...but that's not all I'm giving away...

For one lucky person, you'll get ALL of the following books from all of these AWESOME authors! It's a total of 11 great books to keep you reading late into the night!

All you need to do to enter the is follow my blog and fill out the rafflecopter at the bottom of the post! Easy enough, right?

The winners will be drawn Dec. 27th at midnight EST, and announced on Dec. 28th! So without further ado, let's check out the books!

From Denise Grover Swank:


CHOSEN (The Chosen, #1): 
Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma’s never needed help before. And even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake’s proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn't know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will’s overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it's too late.



HERE (ON THE OTHERSIDE):
Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

From Elizabeth Isaacs:


THE LIGHT OF ASTERIA (The Kailmeyra Series):
 If Nora Johnson hadn't been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed. She tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin's source, his strength. Her newfound joy is shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity allows all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive? A gripping tale of unbounded love and ancient power, The Light of Asteria will take you on an epic adventure filled with war, treachery, and demons, as well as unimaginable delights.


THE SECRET OF THE KEEPERS:
The Kailmeyra Chronicles: Book Two--

Life for Nora couldn't be better; she has married the man of her dreams and loves living in the pristine land of Kailmeyra.

That is, until the darkness threatens her perfect world.

Now war is upon the land. She and Gavin must strengthen their clan and prepare to fight. But the enemy has an ally—one that not only wields power, but holds knowledge of the ancients' secrets. Secrets that could destroy creation itself.

As the darkness grows, doubt seeps in ... protectiveness hinders progress ... and the unthinkable comes to pass.

Bewildered and alone, Nora shoulders the responsibility of leading an entire race to war. As she struggles with decisions that seem impossible to make, she is haunted by one choice.

"No one has ever doubted that you would die for those you love. The question then becomes ... would you live?"

From Hope Collier:


THE WILLOWS: HAVEN: 
When tragedy strikes, seventeen year-old Ashton Blake sets out on a cross-country road trip, leaving the comforts of Malibu for the mountains of Kentucky. Along the way, she encounters Gabe Willoughby—the mysterious drifter with eyes like the sea and a knowing smile. Getting to know Gabe raises questions about her past. But no secret can be buried forever, and Ashton soon finders herself in a world where water is air and myth becomes reality.

Just as Ashton comes to accept her newfound heritage, she’s summoned to fulfill a treaty laid down centuries before — a treaty that will divide her love and test her loyalty. In the end, her future isn’t her biggest concern, her humanity is. To run may mean war, but is she strong enough to stay?

From Eisley Jacobs:

BORN TO BE A DRAGON:
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup…

This is what Lord Edric wants you to believe. He will do anything in his power to see that humans never come in contact with dragons again. However, he doesn't plan for Meia, the foster child who dreams of dragons, believing they are real. Or Deglan, the ten-year-old dragon who bears the ancient mark that threatens everything Lord Edric has worked for.

Join these two unlikely friends as they discover the truth behind a legend so extraordinary it will alter each of their lives… forever.


GOLDEN BLOOD (Time Spirit Trilogy):
Gemma Hart never knows when her father is going to whisk her back in time. Her toes start tingling and she has a few minutes to find a secret haven where she can disintegrate and appear in another time and place. While “across the line,” her training and skills are put to the test as she completes a mission that will change history for the lucky few her father has selected.

Gemma's parents are adamant that secrecy is paramount to her family’s safety. If people knew what they were capable of, they could be "used and abused", as her mother always says. Afraid she might accidentally utter the truth and break the ancient oath of her people, Gemma spends her school days as a loner. Only one thing can throw her sheltered life askew... Harrison Granger.

Harrison never expected to talk to the strange Hart girl, but after a brief encounter he can't stop thinking about her. He begins a campaign to chisel away her icy veneer and is met with unexpected consequences. As he slowly wins this girl over, he enters a surreal world that has him fighting to keep his newfound love and his life.



BLACK BLOOD (Time Spirit Trilogy, #2):
Gemma's parents have put enough rules around her relationship with Harrison that she feels like she's living on parole. But she wins one battle—a summer job working for Harrison's step-father. It is the perfect chance to spend the steamy, hot Florida days with her boyfriend. It's also a great distraction from the cellphone hiding in her underwear drawer—her only contact with Gabe, the mystery man who's stalking her.

When she confronts Gabe, he tells her that her parents are not who she thinks they are, and Harrison has the gall to believe him. Surrounded by conflict, Gemma doesn't know what to believe, and it takes a trip back in time for her to glimpse the sickening truth.

Thanks to her parents, she returns to the present to find the love of her life no longer exists. His family line was broken and now, so is she.

This betrayal forces her to seek out Gabe. Setting aside her fear of the truth, she must trust this man and learn what he can teach her... otherwise, she'll never get her boyfriend back.

From Lorna Suzuki:




A WARRIOR'S TALE (The Imago Chronicles, Book #1):
“Imago Chronicles: Book One, A Warrior’s Tale” begins at the height of the turmoil that shall determine if indeed there will be a Third Age of Peace. Besieged by the enemy from the east and now immersed in war with soldiers of the Dark Army from the west, Nayla Treeborn and her people are about to engage in the next great war that will decide the fate of all mankind and
Elves in Imago.

In a desperate attempt to deliver word to the Elf king of Wyndwood andthose of the alliance for a call to arms, she is the last surviving messenger sent forth by her people. Now, trapped in a storm at the top of the world, she fights to survive the deadly elements in a strange land.

Despised by Elves and shunned by mortals, she must now find the courage to make a place in this world, and the compassion to save those who keep her at arm’s length. This adventure recounts the defining moments in her life that had forged her into a deadly warrior, a great captain and a legend amongst the people of Imago.

And finally, from me:



BRIDGER:
Ashlyn McVean doesn’t believe in fairy tales. That is, until Ashlyn is thrown into the crosshairs of grudges her grandmother created long ago. After finding out she is one of two people able to cross between faerie realms, Ashlyn is faced with trying to understand her abilities, along with navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend, Liam. As if being on a centuries old hit list and dealing with crazed pixies isn’t enough, her new abilities mean trouble for Liam. Knowing her new life puts everyone she loves in danger, Ashlyn must decide what’s most important in her life between friends, family, love, and ultimately, realms.




FORBIDDEN (The Guardian Chronicles):
Levi's job is to protect his human until it's their time to go. That's what a Guard does. He's done it for years on end, and he'll spend his eternity doing the same, mundane thing, following the same, mundane rules.

...Watch from afar.
...Never share your name.
...And above all, never touch a human.

What Levi doesn't know is that his newest human to protect, Hannah, just might be the catalyst to tipping the scales between good and evil, and he will be forced to decide which side he belongs to. Which friends will he side with, and who will he ultimately protect: his human, or the delicate balance that hangs on stopping the heartbeat of the person he has sworn to protect?

And, when you're already condemned, what's there to lose by breaking the rules?

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So as you see, you've got a LOT of awesome books up for grabs here! Plus, since it's all eReader books, this is open internationally! Let the fun begin!