Iron Traitor Blog Tour & Giveaway

Oct. 29 is just around the corner and if I know you Iron Fey fans, you're chomping at the bit to get your hands on Iron Traitor. Well, before you get too micro-focused let's harken back to another story in the series. You remember this one, right?

Let me jog your memory. 
It centers on these two post-wedded bliss...

 .... and takes place before this guy is born.

The oracle shows up at Meghan and Ash's first Elysium together with a prophecy that goes a little something like this...

"What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.”

The story provides some pretty heavy foreshadowing about the future and you just knew there had to be more. I mean, with Julie Kagawa at the helm did you really expect to end on a traditional "happy ever after?" I didn't think so. Everyone loves a little mayhem and the author of the Iron Fey certainly supplies it.

But back to the point of our little walk down memory lane...

A little birdie told me that that the prophecy at the the center of Iron's Prophecy comes to fruition in Iron Traitor. Frankly, I'm not sure whether to be anxious or terrified at the prospects. Either way I'm thrilled that the reveal has finally come! (Notice I don't call it closure or anything of the sort because I'm confident in Kagawa's ability to throw in a heart-wrenching twist and milk me for every last tear. Tears keep her young, you know.)

So if you haven't already pulled a reread of the entire series, definitely go back and reread Iron's Prophecy and ponder the possibilities. Will worlds be brought together or torn apart? Is Kierran to blame? How will it all play out? I won't dare to hazard a guess.

What do you think will happen?

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Iron Traitor 

by Julie Kagawa 

Release Date: Oct. 29, 2013 

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 

Pre-Order: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all.

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Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all-time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian shepherd who is too smart for his own good and the latest addition, a hyperactive Papillon puppy.

So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish and the odd eel.

Find Julie online... 
Website / Blog 
Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

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Follow the tour...

Monday, September 30th – Harlequin Paranormal Blog

Wednesday, October 2nd – Page Turners

Friday, October 4th – Bookalicio.us

Monday, October 7th – Two Chicks On Books

Wednesday, October 9th – Wastepaper Prose

Friday, October 11th – The Book Cellar

Monday, October 14th – Fiktshun

Tuesday, October 15th – Books Complete Me

Wednesday, October 16th – Dark Faerie Tales

Friday, October 18th – YA Bibliophile

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ink by Amanda Sun

Release Date: June 25, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: E-galley
Source: Publisher
Series: Paper Gods #1
Pages: 377
Buy: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound
Description: Goodreads
I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

I’m coming down from one of the most epic book hangovers of my entire life, which means that I’ve been waiting for the proverbial other shoe (or, in this case, the other book) to drop.  I knew that, even if it was an altogether entertaining book, if it didn’t obliterate my feels, it would seem much worse to me by comparison.  Sadly, this is the case with Amanda Sun’s Ink, the first in the Paper Gods series.  It had all the pieces of something I would enjoy, but somehow those pieces didn’t fall together.

In Ink, Katie Greene has left New York following her mother’s death to live with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan.  She doesn’t know the language, she’s unfamiliar with the culture, and she doesn’t know her aunt well enough to feel at home.  One day at school, she witnesses a very, very bad break-up that sticks with her because a- the boy doing the breaking says terribly mean things but looks as though the words hurt him and b- pictures from the boy’s sketchbook fall into Katie’s line of sight, and those pictures move.  She gets a ton of shade thrown her way by this mysterious and dangerous boy named Yuu Tomohiro about how pictures don’t move, but she refuses to back down.  Her new friends tell her to back off, but she can’t help herself.  She discovers Tomo’s secret—he’s part-god, a Kami whose drawings come to life with frightening results—and his drawings and the “ink” respond to her. 

So here’s the thing—there’s a lot going on in Ink.  At any point, it may be a supernatural romance, a thriller, or a fish-out-of-water tale.  The problem was that I never felt these separate aspects coalesced like they should.  The focus wouldn’t stay on one topic long enough for me to feel sated in what I’d read before it would leap to something else.  By the end I felt things start to gel, the book was nearly over.  I knew what I was supposed to feel—that was evident from what was happening on the page-- but I didn’t feel the characters had earned it.  It’s a shame, because there are some really well-written, lovely descriptions of Japan that showed so much potential.

Then, there’s Katie and Tomo.  First, there’s an unnecessary love triangle that felt more forced than anything.  Secondly, I understood why Katie would be interested in following Tomo around after the break-up incident, but after finding out the tales of horror from his past and learning about the people he associates with (like, Yakuza gang members!), I wish she’d have taken more time to consider that he might actually be dangerous.  She just wouldn’t let up.  This doesn’t happen to me often, but I think this is one of those times when I am not Y enough to fully immerse myself in this YA.  Katie kept making so many irresponsible choices with no regard for anyone around her, which shouldn’t make or break a character, but I didn’t feel bonded with Katie. 

I could see how other people could really enjoy the Paper Gods series and its first novel Ink, but unfortunately, I don’t think it’s for me. 

ARC Tour Sign-up: Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

ARC tours aren't a normal thing around here, but my excitement for this book runs so deeply that I had to share it with as many people as I could. As much as I want to, this dark and twisty ride is something I can't keep to myself. I'm partnering with Page Turners Blog to host a tour and kick-start the buzz for Dawn Metcalf's Indelible.

We're looking for 12 bloggers who'd like to get an early shot at reading this book and would be willing to share their thoughts in reviews on their sites. If you're interested just fill out the FORM below before 11:59 p.m. EST on May 16. The bloggers selected to participate will be notified on May 15 and books will begin to circulate shortly after that. 

If you aren't familiar with Indelible yet, read the description below and a special note from Dawn enticing you to add Indelible to your TBR.  Hurry and sign up! We can't wait for you to read this one.

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A note from Dawn...

Dawn Metcalf

Hi! I'm Dawn Metcalf. Don't mind the hat, it's all part of the show. Come over here, I'd like to introduce you to someone. Several someones, in fact, but you can't see them yet. Hang on...stay still...okay? There. Better? Great! Now just smile and look pretty and try not to make any sudden moves.

Those two in front? They're the Scribes. What? Oh, yes, those really are their eyes. The guy over there with the scowl? That's Kurt. But he's not the one you have to watch out for. That would be Graus Claude, the Bailiwick of the Twixt. That's him in the back. Yes, it's real and yes, it's alive. Really. So's Kestrel over there... Well, of course you can't see her, she's wearing a camouflaged hood! And don't cross Brairhook, either. Or Hasp, for that matter. Or, um, any of them actually. They can be wonderful once you get to know them, but you have to understand the Folk aren't too keen on humans...especially those who can See them. Yes, well, okay so that is my fault. But *you* wanted to know!
Here. Take this. No, it's not a spell book. It's an arc of Indelible! You have a chance to be one of the first to read about Joy, Ink and the Twixt by following this tour as well as chances to receive Indelible swag.

Release Date: July 30, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pre-Order: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

Some things are permanent.

Indelible.

And they cannot be changed back.

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

THE TWIXT

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Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Release Date: May 28, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: E-galley
Source: NetGalley
Series: Pushing the Limits #2
Pages: 462
Buy: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound
Description: Goodreads
Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Dare You To is one of those books I’ve been all grabby-hands about since the moment I finished its companion novel Pushing the Limits last year.  Katie McGarry’s debut gave me a couple to root for in Noah and Echo, but I knew I’d love to hear Beth’s story.  Turns out, not only do I love Beth even more than I did before, but I think Ms. McGarry has added herself to my “Insta-buy List” from this day forward.

Beth Risk is the definition of someone who makes you work for it.  The girl has had a hard, gypsy-style life of moving and hiding and taking care of her mother. Her dad left them both long ago, for something that Beth claims was her fault, and she’s been the one to take care of them ever since her dad’s brother Scott abandoned them to become a Yankee (like the baseball team, not the Doodle Dandy).  Ryan Stone is a golden boy of Groveton—he’s a baseball star, his dad’s well-known and well-respected, and his older brother helped his high school football team win many a game.  However, he’s got his own family troubles hidden beneath the layers.  He and his buddies are in a constant Dare War, which is how Our Boy meets Our Girl in a Louisville Taco Bell.  The rest, as they say, is a compelling, heart-meltingly romantic tale of redemption, wall-busting, and love with a capital L (for “Lawd, this book is h-o-t”).

I really, truly adored Beth in Pushing the Limits.  It was so clear that she had a big heart and that she needed someone to love her the way she deserved to be loved, but she wouldn’t and couldn’t tear down those walls of hers.  I spent so much of Dare You To with a deep crease between my eyebrows and a lump in my throat.  Dear, sweet Beth.  I wish I could hug her and tell her it’s not her fault.  I wish she had had a true childhood without any of the harshness that she saw.  I felt for her in a deeper way than I previously did for Noah and Echo.  This isn’t to say that I didn’t care about them, but there’s just something about Beth that gets under your skin and demands your attention.  I blew through this in one sitting, and I could’ve read 450 more pages easily.

And Ryan.  A jock with depth.  One of my favorite aspects of this novel was its turn on the tradition of bad boy/good girl into bad girl/good boy.  That’s something I don’t see often enough, and it’s done so well here.  Ryan and his buddies are boys in all the boyiest ways, which you know I love to bits.  Have I said that I love well-written male POVs before?  Oh, only about a gazillion times? Well, all right then.

Honestly, I have been in such a reading rut lately.  Nothing has been able to bust me out of it.  I’m so happy to say that Beth and Ryan may have been just what I needed, so thank you Dare You To for being the book I needed.  The only problem?  Now I have to wait for Isaiah’s story!  Dang it, McGarry!

Speechless Blog Tour & Giveaway

In honor of National Anti-Bullying Awareness month and Teen Reading Week, which was celebrated last week, we’re talking about Speechless by Hannah Harrington, a young adult novel about bulling. This tour, hosted by Kismet Book Tours, is also in partnership with Love is Louder.

The Love is Louder movement was started when the Jed Foundation, MTV and actress Brittany Snow decided to do something to help those feeling mistreated, misunderstood or alone. Now hundreds of thousands of people around the world have joined the Love is Louder movement and are using their actions to make their communities and schools better places for everyone.  Come join the Love is Louder movement with us. Get started now at LoveisLouder.com/SPEECHLESS

Check out Jessica's Speechless review, and learn about her Speechless moment below...

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This isn’t your typical book tour.  You won’t find a Q&A or guest post by Hannah Harrington.  Instead, you get a moment of honesty from the resident nerdfighter (aka me).  My Speechless Moment isn’t nearly as serious as Chelsea Knot’s.  It didn’t cause any physical harm to anyone nor did it involve any fierce bullying.  It’s simply a defining moment for me: a girl who couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

I’ve always been very talkative.  My parents don’t know my official first word because I used to “talk” incessantly in a language that was all my own, and somehow I went from that to speaking in full sentences seamlessly (though they claim my first understandable sentence was, “Omigosh! ET!”).  In addition to my chatterbox ways, I’ve also always been a terrible secret-keeper.  As soon as I hear the words, “You can’t tell anyone this but…” I immediately feel the need to tell anyone what I’ve just been told.  I just assumed it was part of my nature and did nothing to quell that urge.

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Pages: 288
Buy: Amazon / Book Depository / IndieBound
Description: Goodreads
Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

Speechless was exactly what I was expecting. Hannah Harrington weaves a strong and serious tale about the importance of words and the power they hold.  As a girl who has had her own troubles with secrets in the past, I related to Chelsea throughout the novel, and I absolutely understand her urge to keep her mouth shut.

While she didn’t win me over from the beginning, Chelsea Knot grows on you pretty swiftly.  She finds out a secret about someone she barely knows, drunkenly blabs it to her popular crowd friends, and a certain group of those popular boys take matters into their own hands in the very worst way.  From her introduction as the token yes-girl to the most popular (read: meanest) girl in school, I thought she’d be just another follower.  Turns out, she makes a choice (albeit, a bit of a late one) to do the right thing, and from there, she decides she needs to learn when it’s okay to speak.  Inspired by an article in National Geographic regarding a vow of silence, she decides to do the same: to begin her own vow of silence so she can concentrate on the importance of her words.

I must say, hands down, I loved Chelsea’s new Diner Crowd friends far, far more than any of those other folks she used to call her friends.  These are exactly the kind of people I would have wanted to hang out with when I was in high school.  There were times when they seemed almost too perfect in their zaniness, but that’s just what Chelsea needed to see.  Since she’d been part of the It Crowd for so many years, it’s a new concept to see how the other half lives.  I like that she takes it in stride, that she appreciates Asha and Andy and definitely Sam for being themselves when that’s often the hardest thing to be.  Of course, I really enjoyed her arc with Sam-- meeting him, doing their art project together, and slowly but surely falling for him.  Nothing quite like a boy who’s funny and who makes a mean tuna melt.  Aside from the utter cuteness factor, her time with the Diner Crowd gives great insight into the ramifications of her secret-telling as well.

Speechless centers on bullying, not only the bullying Chelsea receives for turning in her former friends, but the bullying Asha and most especially Nathan receive simply for being different. It’s the kind of story that’s important to tell, and Harrington maintains a healthy balance of stating the facts without inundating you in the issues.  While it doesn’t get as dark and twisty as some of the similar stories before it, Harrington keeps up the pace so the reader is never bored.  It’s a fairly quick read, and those flying pages pack a lot of punch.

I would recommend Speechless to anyone looking for a page-turner of a book with lots of heart.  Words matter, and Chelsea needed to learn that lesson for herself.  This journey is worth taking.

Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine 

that highlights eagerly anticipated books.

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Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Release Date: August 28, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Author Website: http://hannahharrington.blogspot.com/

Pre-order: Amazon / IndieBound / Barnes & Noble

The story of a girl named Chelsea Knot who takes a voluntary oath of silence after her gossip-mongering ways yield unexpected consequences…


Saying she’s sorry isn’t enough.

Why can't I wait?
As a talker (as well the worst secret keeper this side of the Mississippi), I'm very intrigued by the story of a girl who takes a vow of silence to stop her own gossipy ways.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Release Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Pages: 384
Buy: Amazon / Book Depository / IndieBound
Description: Goodreads
So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

This is contemporary YA in its most vulnerable, rawest form.  This is romantic YA at its most passionate, its most genuine.  Pushing the Limits unrelentingly grabs hold of your heart and doesn’t let go until the very end.

  

Honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to feel about Pushing the Limits when I picked it up.  I have a bit of a history with Books About Issues, which is my way of saying that they aren’t always my particular poison.  Turns out, I shouldn’t have worried.  This is more a Book About People.  Those people happen to have some issues to handle, but the important thing to note is that neither Echo nor Noah want their issues to define them.  Echo has been through such a terrible trauma that she’s repressed the memory, and her hands and arms bear the scars of a horrifying act that she can’t even remember.  Echo is also artistically gifted, whip smart, and stronger than she realizes.  Noah lost his parents in a fire, only to become separated from his two younger brothers due to technicalities in the foster care system.  He’s also a fiercely loyal friend with a heart as big as all outdoors.  While they are thrown together by their shared counselor, it’s not surprising that they’re drawn to one another, even if it takes them a while to notice what’s going on between them.

And what is going on between them is happy-making on so many levels.  Katie McGarry deftly alternates the points of view between Echo and Noah each chapter, and seeing their feelings develop in their own words is simply divine.  Their voices are distinct, matching their personalities exactly as they are depicted.  And they are so dang hot for one another, I swear my book nearly burst into flames so many times.  I particularly enjoyed Noah’s chapters because I love a well-written male POV.  His growth beyond the silent stoner kid with his hair in his eyes delights me, and the way he melts Echo and melts for Echo delights me even more.  He makes it his goal to be the best he can be, not just for her but for himself as well.  

This isn’t to say that I didn’t like Echo as much, because oh me, I am all about the Echo.  Girl has been through more sadness in her few years on this planet than most people see in their entire lives, and she still manages to, you know, keep on living.  I love every moment when she forgets her scars.  I love every time she doesn’t let anyone dictate her friendships.  I love when she realizes that Noah Hutchins, the baddest bad boy in her class, has inspired her to become a stronger, fiercer Echo.  I just really, really hope she catches a break at some point.  I mean, besides getting to make out with Noah.

Pushing the Limits is honest, authentic, and so very hot.  Katie McGarry made me grin, blush, and weep—sometimes all in the same chapter!  This is a must-read for anyone who loves character-driven contemporary YA.

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Release Date: April 19, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Source: Author
Pages: 304
Buy: Amazon / Book Depository / IndieBound
Description: Amazon
It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

I must confess. I am a Greek mythology fangirl. Given my love of all things Greek myth, picking up The Goddess Test was a no-brainer. Sadly, I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with this book. I almost walked away from it, but I'm glad I picked it up again.

 It's been four years since the cancer was supposed to have taken Kate's mother, but she's hung on. Her last request is for Kate to take her home to Eden, Michigan, a town that barely qualifies as civilization. Kate resumes school, which had been on hold, tries to make friends, and attempts to cobble together some semblance of a normal life at her mother's urging. That is until her first attempt being social ends in tragedy and she's forced to make a choice that changes everything.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the actual deal. Okay, I know it's a retelling/reimagining of the Persephone myth but I missed the deception, the gimmick if you will, that traps Persephone (or in this case Kate) in the underworld. Remember, she's tricked into eating four seeds of a pomegranate and thus condemned to live in the underworld for four months a year? Instead it's just decided that Kate will be there six months. No rhyme or reason. No trickery. It felt like a set-up for a kinder, gentler version of the classic myth. She struck the deal so there's no one to resent.

Aimee Carter created a take on the underworld that hooked me, a cast of characters whose interactions kept me reading and a concept that made me want to see the book through to the end. However, irregular pacing, tepid romance and excessive amounts of exposition and introspection made that a challenge. There were also parts of the book that felt forced and made the flow of the story feel less natural.

I actually got to the halfway mark or a little further and put the book down for a while. I'd enjoyed what I read so far, and I wasn't turned off by any one specific thing. I simply wasn't invested in the way that makes you need to finish a book.

The Goddess Test wound up being a pleasant read with a mostly unexpected ending that left me satisfied. Mostly, the story just felt longer than it needed to be. But if you aren't a Greek myth snob (yes, I admit it) and you don't mind a slower pace then you'll probably like this reimagining quite a bit.

Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine 

that highlights eagerly anticipated books.

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Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Release Date: July 31, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Author Website: http://www.katielmcgarry.com/

Pre-order: Amazon / IndieBound / Barnes & Noble

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.  Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Why I can't wait?
A popular girl fallen from grace.  A dangerous boy with in a leather jacket.  A romance that builds from a slow burn.  I'm ready to fall head over heels in love with this story already.

Meet the editor of The Immortal Rules, Natashya Wilson

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa is out today, and I'm lucky enough to have her amazing editor here on the blog to talk about Julie, her books, and the editing process! Harlequin TEEN was also generous enough to offer me a copy of The Immortal Rules to give away, so be sure to read all the way to the end and enter. 

Now, here's Natashya!

And she's sporting the
clockwork collar!

Name: Natashya Wilson 

Position: Senior Editor for Harlequin TEEN

You might have seen her: Manning the Harlequin TEEN Twitter

Bio: Natashya holds a B.S. in animal science from the University of California, Davis, and  an M.A. in magazine journalism from the S. I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University. She began working at Harlequin as an editorial assistant in 1996. She left in 2000 to work first as an associate editor for McGraw-Hill and then later for the Rosen Publishing Group, where she edited children’s nonfiction books. She returned to Harlequin in 2004 and later became the senior editor for Harlequin TEEN.

Hello everyone. I’m Natashya Wilson, the senior editor for the Harlequin TEEN program. Thanks so much for having me here to post as part of The Immortal Rules blog tour. I have the privilege of working with Julie Kagawa, and this book has been one of my favorites to edit. I’m excited to tell everyone a little more about the process.

Years ago when we first acquired Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey trilogy for Harlequin TEEN, I knew we’d found a unique author with an outstanding and cinematic story telling style. I sound a bit gushy, I know, but it’s true. Julie wound up writing a fourth book in that series—um, I might have encouraged that just a bit, but that’s another tale—but even then Blood of Eden was working its way through Julie’s creative mind, and we contracted a new “dark fantasy” trilogy, not quite knowing what it would become. Julie’s agent, Laurie McLean, began describing Julie’s fledgling idea to me and we got to thinking, hmm, could vampires work in a future dystopian world? Laurie took that to Julie, and soon book one of the Blood of Eden series, The Immortal Rules, was on its way.

I was eager to see what Julie would do with a new world, one so different from her bestselling faery series, and when the manuscript came in, it surpassed even my high expectations (see? Gushy. And still entirely true.). I sent her my notes and we talked over Julie’s ideas for refining the story, and did a round of edits before the final ms was ready for production. I hope you’ll enjoy the results as much as I did. The Immortal Rules is darker, edgier and just as action-driven as the Iron Fey books but with a human girl, Allison Sekemoto, making a different choice—die, or become one of the vampire monsters she loathes. The way Julie approached the scenario creates a question that will resonate universally—what does it mean to be human, and what makes someone a monster?

You decide. Please let us know what you think! You can find us on Twitter @HarlequinTEEN and on Facebook.  Thank you for following The Immortal Rules blog tour!

All best,

--Natashya Wilson, Senior Editor, Harlequin TEEN

The Immortal Rules
by Julie Kagawa

You will kill. The only question is when. 

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.


Unregistered humans cling to the fringe, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.


Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Harlequin / IndieBound

Signings for The Immortal Rules

Tuesday, April 24th at 4pm - Barnes & Noble Livonia, Louisville, KY

Saturday, April 28th at 2pm - The Bookstore, Radcliff, KY

Monday, May 7th at 5:30 pm - Lincoln's Loft, Hodgeville, KY

Please visit http://www.tyngasreviews.com/ for the next stop on The Immortal Rules blog tour. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Release Date: Jan. 18, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: E-book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 224
Buy: Fountain Bookstore / Amazon
Description: Goodreads
Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough… 

Here Lies Bridget is the tale of self-proclaimed princess of Winchester Prep, Bridget Duke. She’s one of the most popular girls in her class, but beneath that, she is a spoiled, insensitive, and manipulative bully. However, you wouldn’t know it if you asked her. According to Bridget, everyone treats her most unfairly, from her teacher who expects her to be (gasp!) on time to class every day, to her stepmother who wants to humiliate her by taking her out to the movies (horror of horrors!!), to her friends who don’t even listen to her advice about what clothes would make them look less fat. Plus, her ex-boyfriend Liam hasn’t paid attention to her in like forever, and now he’s all over some new girl named Anna who’s nicer, prettier, and inexplicably more popular than Bridget! She just can’t take this injustice! After a car accident, Bridget awakes to find herself in a strange boardroom between here and elsewhere, where she will see herself in a new light. And that new light must be fluorescent because it is harsh.

This was a fun little read that I blew though extremely fast. Bridget is pretty awful for a good chunk of the novel, but it’s obvious that there’s more to her than just Mean Girl. Throughout the story, little snippets of back story reveal that she hasn’t always been the bullying popular ice queen as she would have you believe. She acts more out of fear of people finding out how vulnerable she is. It’s not the most original flaw in the world, but it’s definitely makes Bridget seem more like a real person and less like a one-note character. It also helps that this is from her point of view, because being able to hear why she says the things she says makes up for the fact that she also makes me want to slap her.

So, you know when a character is that bad kind of character, with the bad attitude and the all-around Scrooge-iness, there’s always that Scrooge-y tale of redemption. In this case, existing in that here-but-not-here boardroom suspended in time, Bridget is able to see herself through the eyes of the people she’s hurt in the past. Once she hears her words without the context of her own thoughts, Bridget rightfully discovers that she’s pretty much the worst. Of course, she is given a chance to make right what once went wrong, hopefully before the clocks hits midnight and elsewhere becomes reality.

Here Lies Bridget isn’t going to change the world, but it will keep you entertained from start to finish. It’s funny and quick, full of relatable and real people. This is a great weekend read. In fact, I think it would make a great weekend movie too, so I’m glad to know it’s been optioned for a film.

The Immortal Rules Cover Reveal

You might've heard by now, but Julie Kagawa has a new book coming out this spring, The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1). What you might not know is that the cover is being revealed tomorrow on MTV's Hollywood Crush!

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

*Description from Goodreads.

There's no firm time on the reveal yet, but definitely bookmark MTV's Hollywood Crush and follow them on Twitter to see it as soon as it's available. Also, don't forget to pre-order your copy of The Immortal Rules, which is coming from Harlequin Teen on April 24, 2012.

The Iron Knight Twitter Party

Julie Kagawa's Iron Knight releases tomorrow, and we're celebrating with a Twitter party that will take you right up to the official moment! Join Harlequin Teen, Julie, and a panel of Iron Fey-crazed bloggers tonight from 10p.m.-12a.m. EST to celebrate along with us.

There will be Team Ash/Team Puck/Team Grim questions, awesome giveaways, behind the scenes exclusives, and a super-special announcement from Julie. Victoria Schwab (The Near Witch), Saundra Mitchell (The Vespertine), Beth Revis (Across the Universe), and Christine Johnson (Claire De Lune) will all make special guest appearances throughout the night. Ash's never before seen letter to Meghan will also be revealed.

Here's what you need to know to follow the action...

 Hashtag: #IronKnightParty

Host: @HarlequinTeen

Julie Kagawa: @Jkagawa

Bloggers:

@wastepaperprose

@BookaliciousPam

@ABennettBooks

@PageTurnersBlog

Learn more about the Iron Fey series at http://www.ironfey.com/. Hope to see you at the party tonight!