Cover reveal: NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE by Amy Nichols + GIVEAWAY!!!

I am so ecstatic to be a part of this cover reveal for debut author Amy Nichols! I haven't really read a lot of YA sci-fi recently, but this book makes me want to start again!

Ready? Ready?

This is the first time I'll be using the "more" tag, so click on the link to see the loveliness of the cover!!! Let me know your thoughts about the cover, okay? Leave me some comments!



ABOUT NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE:

Danny and Eevee are meant to be together . . .

Just not in this universe.

Eevee Solomon has high school down to a science. Get the grades. Get the recommendations. Get into an Ivy League college, and eventually land a killer job at NASA.

Then Danny Ogden enters the equation.

Danny is a street-smart graffiti artist. He’s always managed to stay out of serious trouble, but this time he’s out of luck. One minute he’s running from the cops, and the next, he jolts awake in an unfamiliar body–his own, but different. Somehow, he’s crossed into a parallel universe. Now his friends are his enemies, his parents are long dead, and coolheaded Eevee is not the brazen girl he once kissed back home.

Then again, this Eevee may be his only hope of getting home.

Eevee tells herself she’s only helping him in the name of quantum physics, but there’s something undeniably fascinating about this boy from another dimension . . . a boy who makes her question who she is, and who she might be in another place and time.

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18309634-now-that-you-re-here

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About Amy Nichols:

Amy has been crafting stories for as long as she can remember. She earned a Master's in literature and worked for years as a web designer, though, before realizing what she really wanted to be was an author. Her first novel, YA sci-fi thriller Now That You're Here, will be published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on December 9, 2014. The follow-up, While You Were Gone, will be published in 2015. She is mentored by award-winning crime novelist James Sallis.

Amy is represented by Quinlan Lee of Adams Literary. She's an active member of SCBWI and SFWA, as well as a member of the Class of 2k14 debut authors.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.amyknichols.com
Blog: http://amyknichols.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyknichols
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyKNichols
Class of 2k14: http://classof2k14.com

GIVEAWAY TIME!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review: Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy #3) by Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Grammarly, a writing enhancement app that checks for more than 250 types of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, enhances vocabulary usage, and suggests citations. I use Grammarly's plagiarism check because it's a cool tool for hunting copycats. Make no mistake about it, I will find you plagiarizer!

Reading this book made me feel a little bit nostalgic.

Title: Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy #3) by Kerstin Gier, translated by Anthea Bell
Release Date: October 8th 2013
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.
She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.

Emerald Green immediately picks up from the cliff hanger in Sapphire Blue. While Gwyneth is suffering a broken heart from Gideon's revelation in the previous book, they are a step closer to uncovering the mystery surrounding the Circle of Twelve and how it is tied to Gwyneth's fate.

I will say this: Gideon, you bastard. I didn't like him all that much in the first book, and just when I was liking him in Sapphire Blue, he unleashes a bomb against Gwen at the end of the book. And poor innocent Gwenny believed all of it. I liked Gwyneth, and her self-wallowing wasn't made boring by the way she was getting through Gideon's deception. Gwen's got this no nonsense attitude where she thinks too much but she wasn't the annoying type at all. I liked how Kerstin Gier wrote her, bubbly and funny and innocent at times, admitting to her own faults but certainly not letting it transform her into a lesser person. It was getting tiring to be constantly compared to Charlotte, and Gwen knew she can never be like her cousin, but still she doesn't harbor ill feelings against Charlotte.

The romance in this book was plenty, as Gideon and Gwen's feelings for each other were finally put out in the open, and there were a lot of really sweet moments that will satisfy everyone who has waited for the both of them to be together. There was also no shortage of laughter as Xemerius provided the needed comic relief with his sarcastic remarks and outrageous recaps of Gwen's life. Although I don't see much of a point for his character, he was like the sidekick that was just there to be funny, he's provided good support for Gwen. Also, Gwen has the best friend anyone could have. Lesley was such an interesting supporting character. She's that quirky, supportive BFF that isn't quick to judge, very good at research and has a good head for helping solve the mysteries surrounding the Count, the time travelers prophecy and sometimes, even Gwen's love problems.

Emerald Green was, admittedly, a long story. And while I sometimes stop and ask myself when will the story finally move forward, I was having fun being immersed in the story and seeing Gwen and Lesley and Gideon and Raphael putting their heads together, trying to solve this seemingly complex puzzle for all time travelers. The exciting, entertaining content definitely made up for the slow approach to the climax. And while I was busy swooning over Gwen and her love-hate relationship with Gideon, it was really enjoyable to go through all the layers of time traveling, history, secrets and truths that surround Gwen, her birth, her ability to time travel, the Guardians and the rest of the characters.

I can't say that the ending was unpredictable or something out of this world, but it's a neat finish for a trilogy that will leave the readers generally satisfied and happy, tying loose ends and wrapping up cliffhangers. There was no dramatic conclusion, but it was the type that retained the calmness and gave the story a clean closing. 

Here's to me hoping that Lesley and Raphael will have their own sort of spin-off soon. Their chemistry is up to the roof and it made me giggle a couple of times!

If you like books about time travel with a funny, clumsy heroine whose life is entangled hopelessly with her family and a prophecy that might or might not bring about a drastic change in the world, a French speaking hero who can be so infuriating most of the time but can be charming if he wants to, a funny demon sidekick who eats annoying ghosts and a one of a kind best friend who does not bat an eyelash in the face of all the craziness in Gwen's family, this book is for you. Highly entertaining though long and sometimes slow paced, Emerald Green and the Ruby Red trilogy is still a good series for those who want to give books and stories about time traveling a try.

Content (plot, story flow, character):

I'm not sure if it's just because of the translation to English from German, but a lot of things that are happening in Gwen's life that will take your focus away from some of the important events in the book. By the time Gwen's true powers and abilities were revealed, I didn't care about it much. Also, since a lot is going on in the story, you need to concentrate and look at it very closely so you wouldn't get lost in the developments. I had to re-read some parts in order for the whole thing to be clear.


Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
This trilogy has one of the best covers I've seen, may it be hardback or paperback!

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Waiting on Wednesday (140): The Girl from the Well + I Become Shadow

Alright! I am featuring two books this week that I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY excited about! Go on, read below!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Title: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
Release Date: August 5th 2014
Published by: Sourcebook Fire

Want? Add to your Goodreads list!

Summary (from Goodreads):

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

Why I'm waiting for The Girl from the Well:

I have many many many reasons why I am terribly excited for this book that I am almost always jumping up and down whenever someone mentions this. One: I think Rin Chupeco is the first Filipina YA author I knew of who will be published worldwide. (Feel free to correct me on this!) Two: That summary just basically screams horror and gore and all the dark, delicious things that makes me anticipate it so! And three: Shinto exorcisms! Japan! If you look at my blog and even just think of the name, this book is a perfect fit. A YA paranormal, horror book with Japanese elements. YES, I WANT IT SO BAD!

Title: I Become Shadow by Joe Shine
Release Date: June 10th 2014
Published by: Soho Teen

Want? Add to your Goodreads list!

Summary (from Goodreads):

Ren Sharpe was abducted at fourteen and chosen by the mysterious F.A.T.E. Center to become a Shadow: the fearless and unstoppable guardian of a future leader. Everything she held dear—her family, her home, her former life—is gone forever.

Ren survives four years of training, torture, and misery, in large part thanks to Junie, a fellow F.A.T.E. abductee who started out as lost and confused as she did. She wouldn’t admit it was possible to find love in a prison beyond imagining, but what she feels for Junie may just be the closest thing to it.

At eighteen they part ways when Ren receives her assignment: find and protect college science student Gareth Young, or die trying. Life following a college nerd is uneventful, until an attack on Gareth forces Ren to track down the only person she can trust. When she and Junie discover that the F.A.T.E. itself might be behind the attacks, even certain knowledge of the future may not be enough to save their kidnappers from the killing machines they created.

Why I'm waiting for I Become Shadow:

Tell me that summary isn't interesting. It reminds me a little bit of Natasha Ngan's The Elites (in a sense that she's been trained to be a guardian) and I'm always ready for an action packed read with a strong female lead at the helm of the story. And what a gorgeous cover! You can just tell that it's going to be a fast paced thriller by the looks of the cover.

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What are your WoW picks this week? Share them please!

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[Feature] RED RISING – RELEASE DAY FLASH GIVEAWAY

I am so so excited to participate in this flash giveaway! Red Rising was amazing!

RED RISING by Pierce Brown
Published by Del Rey – Random House
Hardcover: 978-0-345-53978-6
Ebook: 978-0-345-53979-3

See what all the buzz is about on Goodreads

“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

BUY LINKS (print and ebook)
Amazon | B&N | iBookstore | Google Play | All other retailers

About Pierce Brown

Pierce Brown spent his childhood building forts and setting traps for cousins in the woods of six states and the deserts of two. Graduating from college in 2010, he fancied the idea of continuing his studies at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a magical bone in his body. So while trying to make it as a writer, he worked as a manager of social media at a startup tech company, toiled as a peon on the Disney lot at ABC Studios, did his time as an NBC page, and gave sleep deprivation a new meaning during his stint as an aide on a U.S. Senate campaign. Now he lives Los Angeles, where he scribbles tales of spaceships, wizards, ghouls, and most things old or bizarre.

Connect with Pierce
Facebook | Twitter

If anyone's interested, here's the playlist for RED RISING:

RED RISING RELEASE DAY FLASH GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Goddess Offerings (36) / Stacking the Shelves (18)

Forgot to post my StS last week because it was a crazy weekend, but here's my haul, featuring Hello Kitty! :p Check it out!

Stacking the Shelves hosted is by Tynga's reviews! So leave a comment below and share your own haul!

For review:

Ask Me by Kimberly Pauley
Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington
No Surrender Soldier by Christine Kohler
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
Twice Upon a Time by Kate Forster

Shadow Kiss: The Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead
The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead
Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu
Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard

From the NBS Trade Show:

Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas
Steadfast (Spellcaster #2) by Claudia Gray
Lighthouse Island: A Novel by Paulette Jiles
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (movie tie-in edition)
Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Won:

Signed Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan

Bought:

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

For the signing:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Thank you Random House Philippines, National Bookstore, The 2K13ers and Christine Kohler, Hardie Grant Egmont and Penguin Australia!

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Review: The Trap (The Hunt #3) by Andrew Fukuda

If there's such a thing as  emotional carnage, where every single strand of my emotions were ripped apart and stomped on, then that's what I have just experienced while reading this book.

I feel so tired, it's like my emotions were a tangible thing that was tossed around and just disintegrated after I flipped to the last page.

Title: The Trap (The Hunt #3) by Andrew Fukuda
Release Date: November 5th 2013
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

After barely escaping the Mission alive, Gene and Sissy face an impossible task: staying alive long enough to stop an entire world bent on their destruction. Bound on a train heading into the unknown with the surviving Mission girls, Gene, Sissy, David, and Epap must stick together and use everything they have to protect each other and their only hope: the cure that will turn the blood-thirsty creatures around them into humans again. Now that they know how to reverse the virus, Gene and Sissy have one final chance to save those they love and create a better life for themselves. But as they struggle to get there, Gene's mission sets him on a crash course with Ashley June, his first love . . . and his deadliest enemy.

It was not easy reading this book, let me tell you that now. It was not easy getting through The Hunt and The Prey as well, but there's something really fascinating in the way this cruel, cruel world was presented through Andrew Fukuda's writing. By the time I was reading The Hunt, I felt the way Gene and Sissy did. I am tired. I wanted to give up. It's like the wariness, the deaths, the setbacks and countless heartbreaks suddenly weighed down on me. When will it end? Will it ever end? But you know what? I wouldn't trade the reading experience I had with this book with anything right now.

You think I'd have enough because of the dire situations and each and every seemingly hopeless moments that Gene and Sissy encounters in almost every page and chapter, but no, it was like some sort of drug that feeds my hunger to find out how it all ends.

In terms of the characters, I liked Sissy in this book better than Gene. I've always thought that she was fierce, stronger than anyone, maybe even Ashley June and Gene, but she just became that rock Gene needs to lean on to, to not give up. "We fight to the end.", she would always say, and every single time those words just bring tears to my eyes. At some level, I can understand Gene's feelings, and he was the person who was the most affected by everything that had happened, every single piece of the puzzle revealed, every challenge they face, but I felt his hopelessness more, like he really was at the end of his rope, and he was more unstable and emotional in this book than I would have liked.

I'd like to argue with what was said in the summary, that Gene's deadliest enemy is Ashley June herself. I don't think so. Gene's deadliest enemy was himself. The doubts that began to creep in, when he was starting to lose himself in the fear and the direness of it all. Who else does he have to fight with him? It was just him and Sissy and if they don't become a lot tougher than they were, how will they survive? Gene and Sissy were enough source of agony for me, that kind of bittersweet, doomed love and Ashley June just had to come in and present us flashbacks of what really happened to her, what it was like for her. She loved Gene, that I was sure of, and they were both connected by the grim events that transpired between their families, it's just that Ashley June chose to express that love in a way that Gene couldn't understand, not at first.

What happens when the Prey becomes the Hunter? I'm glad that amidst all that was going on in the story, Andrew Fukuda was able to show that side of the story, though briefly. It gave Gene's and Sissy's character a bit of an edge, a darker tinge to it.

I had to stop and pause for a little while when the truth surfaced. It felt like a bomb exploded and I had no idea how to deal with the aftermath. It was safe to say that those moments rearranged the whole story for me and gave me a whole new perspective to think about, and evaluate the story in a different angle, with a different approach. What a way to blindside people, Andrew Fukuda. By that moment I didn't care what else was there left for Gene and Sissy to discover, but when that twist finally came into light, I was speechless. I was so caught up trying to see if Gene and Sissy will survive for another minute, another hour, another day, that I didn't notice the possibility for something of that magnitude to happen was plausible. And as if it wasn't enough, Gene and Sissy had to face the reality of what lies ahead for them, what it means when they discovered who they are. What was normal for them after all that has happened? I felt so exhausted, but it turns out it wasn't the end.

I felt like my emotions were painfully wrung out of me by the time I got through the end. I can't say I'm happy, but I felt so proud by the time the story ended. I felt so proud of Gene and Sissy. They came out of it with a determination stronger and fiercer than before. They found a purpose. They were each other's hope. And that was good enough of an ending for me.

Stunned and stunning. Shocked and shocking. I couldn't ask for a better way for The Hunt series to end. The Trap couldn't have ended in a better way than it did. Kudos, Andrew Fukuda! What a ride, what a read! This series will forever stay with me as one of the most memorable series I have ever read.

My rating:

Content (plot, story flow, character):

I can't say enough praises and give enough accolades for this book. I have nothing but respect for Andrew Fukuda. The guy knows how to write dystopia, and he writes really well. Just give it a try, will you?

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:
The Prey's cover is still my most favorite cover, but this one is also good!

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Chapter Reveal: BE WITH ME (Wait for You #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Who's excited for this book? Raise your hand! If you are, then you REALLY have to check out the chapter I'm posting below!

BE WITH ME Synopsis:

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wait for You

Do Teresa and Jase have a real shot at getting together or will life get in the way?

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she's in love with her big brother's best friend, but he hasn't spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, life-changing kiss. Then she got out of a terrible relationship. Now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It's time for plan B: college. And maybe she'll have a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he's not telling anyone—especially not his best friend's incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn't have time for a relationship. But it doesn't help that all he can think about is kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they're thrown together more and more, Jase and Teresa can't keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they're willing to risk to be together and what they're willing to lose if they're not. . . .

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY AT THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Be With Me Excerpt

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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

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

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

Links:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
BITTER SWEET LOVE Goodreads
WHITE HOT KISS Goodreads
Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads
Jennifer L. Armentrout Amazon

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Waiting on Wednesday (139): The Three + Subway Love

I feel like it's been ages since I last posted any WoW picks, so I'm back! Not with a vengeance, but with two interesting books I just came across a few weeks ago. Check them out, please!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Title: The Three: A Novel by Sarah Lotz
Release Date: May 20th 2014
Published by: Little, Brown and Company

Want? Add to your Goodreads list!

Summary (from Goodreads):

Four simultaneous plane crashes. Three child survivors. A religious fanatic who insists the three are harbingers of the apocalypse. What if he's right?

The world is stunned when four commuter planes crash within hours of each other on different continents. Facing global panic, officials are under pressure to find the causes. With terrorist attacks and environmental factors ruled out, there doesn't appear to be a correlation between the crashes, except that in three of the four air disasters a child survivor is found in the wreckage.

Dubbed 'The Three' by the international press, the children all exhibit disturbing behavioural problems, presumably caused by the horror they lived through and the unrelenting press attention. This attention becomes more than just intrusive when a rapture cult led by a charismatic evangelical minister insists that the survivors are three of the four harbingers of the apocalypse. The Three are forced to go into hiding, but as the children's behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing, even their guardians begin to question their miraculous survival...

Why I'm waiting for The Three:

I randomly mentioned this book to my book blogger friends last weekend (while chomping down burgers and munching on french fries!) and I told them the plot as best as I could. That was when I realized that "wow, this book had the potential to be big!" because it just sounds interesting to anyone who hears what it's about. It's got that chilling, thriller vibe filled with a mysterious, scary, sinister edge. I like it. It's a combination I haven't read recently in a novel and I want to know if it'll work in this one.

Also! If you don't think the cover above is scary, you might want to check the UK cover:

The numbers... the red hue, that dark background... *shivers*

Title: Subway Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Release Date: May 13th 2014
Published by: Candlewick

Want? Add to your Goodreads list!

Summary (from Goodreads):

What if destiny leads you to your soul mate, but the laws of time conspire to keep you apart?

If her parents had never divorced, Laura wouldn’t have to live in the shadow of Bruce, her mom’s unpredictable boyfriend. Her mom wouldn’t say things like "Be groovy," and Laura wouldn’t panic every weekend on the way to Dad’s Manhattan apartment. But when Laura spots a boy on a facing platform, lifting a camera to his face, looking right at her, Laura feels anything but afraid, and she can’t forget him. Jonas, meanwhile, thinks nonstop about the pretty hippie girl he glimpsed on the platform — trying to comprehend how she vanished, but mostly wondering whether he will see her again in a city of millions — and whether if he searches, he would have any chance of finding her. In a lyrical meditation on love, Nora Raleigh Baskin explores the soul’s ability to connect, and heal, outside the bounds of time and reason.

Why I'm waiting for Subway Love:

I am not a big fan of that cover. I've read a few of Nora Raleigh Baskin's novels, and even though I find major faults in a lot of them most of the time, I'm continually captivated by the summary of her books. Guilty pleasure, what I call the experience when I read her books, and Subway Love is not an exception. I'd like to see how Laura and Jonas meet, if they ever will, and just really know what's gonna happen between both characters. What does "time" have to do with them meeting? I always fall for such a good summary, and this book has that at least. My curiousity is definitely piqued.

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What are your WoW picks for this week?

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Gayle Forman signing recap + a giveaway

The first signing of the year, and judging from how it went, I'm pretty sure 2014 is going to be an awesome year for us YA readers and bookworms!

Best selling author Gayle Forman is the first author to visit the Philippines this year for a signing, and she's just lovely! As always, I'm starstruck whenever I get to see an author whom I admired up close. And Gayle Forman is one of them.

One of the things I love about signings, aside from meeting my favorite authors, is meeting my book blogger friends. We don't get to see each other that often, but when we do, it's always a spazzfest of books and authors and fictional hot boys! I love these people here.

Gayle answering questions.

I was lucky to get a chance to ask Gayle a question, and I was so nervous that I didn't even get to say hi. I felt like I was mumbling as well, but it turned out fine in the end. I really need to compose myself during Q&As.

A quick rundown of some of her answers to some of the questions:

- If Gayle was to branch out of YA Contemporary: Some people refer to If I Stay as a paranormal, so she has somehow already "branched out". Gayle loves writing about the world we live in right now, and that's why she writes YA contemporary.

- Gayle was pretty much involved with the making of If I Stay's movie, and she cried 4 times when she was reading the script.

- Gayle has a new book coming out Winter 2015, the name is I WAS HERE.

- The name of the main character in the book is Ben.

- She was pretty much singing a lot of songs because there were a lot of music related questions. *sings Let It Go~*

The public signing, as I expected, was pretty much jampacked. There were a ton of people already waiting for Gayle (that includes us!) and everyone was all smiles and screaming when she walked to the stage. This is what happened once she got on stage:

Gayle removed her jacket (like a rockstar!), walked off the stage and took a selfie with everyone in the crowd holding up their books. I told you, she's awesome!

Ms. Xandra Ramos of NBS asking Gayle some questions before the signing starts.

There was a fan who was crying her eyes out (lucky fan, actually) when she got a chance to ask Gayle a question, and Gayle got off the stage again, this time with a box of tissues ready and offered it to the fan.

A friend of mine got to the signing around 11 am and her number was 454. 454 and the mall has only opened for an hour then! I heard from an NBS staff that the line started around 8 am, two hours before the mall even opened. WOW. Just... wow.

Thank you so much National Bookstore for another wonderful event! It was such a long day, but it's so worth it! I get to much such a lovely lady who is so smart and friendly and sweet and it's another wonderful experience I can add to my bookish adventures.

GIVEAWAY TIME!
A MYSTERY BOOK FROM MY PILE

It totally slipped my mind to buy an extra book which I should've asked to be signed for a giveaway, but to make up for that, if you win this giveaway then I will send you a book from my current pile. It's a secret, and I won't tell you what it is, you just have to wait for the package to arrive at your doorstep and see what it is. I'll give you a clue though: It's going to be an early 2014 and late 2013 release.

Rules:

Open to everyone

Ends Feb. 1

Must be at least 13 years old to enter

Just leave a comment and tell me what your favorite Gayle Forman book is and why. Leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you help spread the word (Twitter, FB, Tumblr, etc), you get an extra point!

Update:

The winner for this contest has been picked. Thanks to randomizer.org, who picked:

Congratulations Jayvee! Please check your inbox for my e-mail.

Thanks everyone for joining!

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ARC Review: Defy by Sarah B. Larson

My 2014 started in a good fashion because of this book.

Title: Defy (Defy #1) by Sara B. Larson
Release Date: January 7th 2014
Published by: Scholastic Press
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

I can just imagine the first scene happening inside my head as if it was real. Alex and her twin brother Marcel, standing in front of the destruction left by the fire that stole their parents away from them. The horror evident on both child's faces as they realized what awaits them as orphans in the kingdom of Antion. At that moment I decided that I will read this book through the very end.

The summary was deceiving, readers are not shoved head on to battle at once, but into a world of careful re-imagining and building by Sara Larson. We see Alexa years after she had lost her parents as she lived her life as a boy with her twin brother, Marcel. She was the best guard, the captain if only she wasn't so young. With Marcel by her side and friends like Rylan and comrades like Deron, her job becomes bearable, that is if the Prince wasn't being the stubborn, pampered Royal he always was.

I loved Alexa, the way her character was built, through death, destruction, the loss and sacrifice of the ones she loved, and it has made her a strong, tough person. The life she was leading wasn't easy, having to hide her true identity, lie and deceive people, all the while serving a man who has done unspeakable horrors to her fellow citizens. I cannot imagine how it was like to be in her shoes, aside from being forced to masquerade as someone she's never going to be (a male) if she wanted to live, she was given such daunting tasks one after another. Her struggle to hide her identity as a woman intrigued me at first, and that was what kept me going through most parts of this book, always anticipating that moment when she was discovered. That, and her electrifying, tension-filled interactions with Price Damian.

Cliche as it might look, I was caught in the emotions Sara Larson was able to weave in each and every encounter Alexa had with Damian. He comes off as a spoiled Prince who throws tantrums in the most irrational way, but Damian's just as deceiving as Alex was, and his infuriating, smart way of exchanging words and banter with Alex was such a delight to read. He was, in a sense, swoon worthy, especially when more of his character was revealed when he was abducted! I have to say that the secrets he was keeping gave way for a lot of confusion and questions, because while we wait for each secret to be revealed, readers also wait to see what his character as a whole has to offer. Was there more to him than the flowery words and magnetic charm? There was, and I'm glad that his past was revealed because it gave him the needed backbone for his story, a reason for why he was acting the way he was. It was frustrating, however, how he and Alexa always seem to tease each other, but when they get too close, they pull back without warning.

Like Alexa, I seem to have been torn between Damian and Rylan. While Damian's title definitely adds to his charm, Rylan, as a Royal Guard, only has that to compare against Damian. But I did feel like Rylan's character was a lot more stable and consistent than Damian was. Granted, he might be a little to kind and a martyr, having been that guy who decided to give way and wait for a girl who he knew doesn't love him, but Rylan had his own charms. In a perfect setting, he would be better suited for Alexa, and at times I felt just that. I felt bad for him quite often. Maybe good guys do finish last, but his supportive attitude, understanding and acceptance of Alexa should have earned him a little more credit for her. He was suffering there, watching as Alexa's and Damian's story happen right before his eyes and he can't do anything about it. I hope he becomes more assertive in the next book. Fight for what you want, Rylan!

I give Sara Larson a salute for creating an interesting world for Defy. This might be her debut novel, but I loved how she painted such a convincing world for her story. Antion, Osgard, Dansii, the inner workings for each kingdom, the Royalty, its citizens, the state of their lives and how they are all connected gave the book a solid setting that served as a great backdrop for Alex, Rylan and Damian's story to unfold. Though it was largely a story of a girl keeping her true identity a secret, it was also that of a war torn world, the terrors that comes along with it and the struggle to make it a better place for everyone. The motivations behind Damian's actions, the force that drives Alex to keep her secret and protect her people, all of it contributed to a solid, entertaining read.

Not a bad start for 2014, if I may say so.

If there was anything I'd like to ask for in the sequel, it's that I want more of everything. More action,  more breath taking and heart stopping moments and a little more resolution on the very vague relationship going on with Damian, Alex and Rylan.

Content (plot, story flow, character):

.5
Okay: Liked, but The Goddess demands more!

I would have given this a 5 were it not for Alexa's personality shift, which was the biggest issue for me here. I was unconvinced. I understand that she has been pretending as a boy, but it felt like the shift was so sudden. And I kept on thinking, was it all because she was falling for the idea that Damian was a Prince? How about Rylan then? Pretending for so long, was it really that easy to give in and toss aside the male persona she has adopted for years? Also, I felt that everything that happened was so unfair to Rylan, that he was shut down before he was given a chance to do anything. Also, it would have been nicer if the impact the opening scene had left was consistent throughout the book, but it dwindles quite often, only to pick up and go down again.

Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
I have a serious crush on this book's cover!

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My Roomie story + Roomies Survival Kit Giveaway!

This is probably one of the most fun ways to do a giveaway. The giveaway is in conjunction with the lovely book Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando, which went on sale Christmas Eve last year.

About the book:

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
December 24, 2013

The countdown to college has begun.

When Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment at the beginning of summer, she shoots off an email to coordinate the basics: TV, microwave, mini-fridge. She can't wait to escape her New Jersey beach town, and her mom, and start life over in California.

The first note to Lauren in San Francisco comes as a surprise; she had requested a single. But if Lauren's learned anything from being the oldest of six, it's that you can't always get what you want, especially when what you want is privacy.

Soon the girls are emailing back and forth, sharing secrets even though they've never met. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives...and each other.

With humor and heart, Sara Zarr, National Book Award finalist for Story of a Girl, and Tara Altebrando, acclaimed author of The Pursuit of Happiness, join forces for a novel about that time after high school, when everything feels like it's ending just as it's beginning.

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For this giveaway/sweepstakes, we were asked to share a "Roomie story" of our own. So here goes mine:

I worked in Japan for six months, and I've been sharing an apartment in Yokohama with my friend Kat. She's been doing all the chores (take the proper trash on the right days, buying groceries, etc) for us both while I settled in since she had been staying in the apartment for more than a month before I did, so I thought I'd cook something that closely resembles food from home.

So we went out and tried to find fish that looks almost the same as the ones we eat back in Manila. I'm a pretty decent cook, but if there's one thing I hate to do before cooking fish is cleaning and removing the guts off it, and they don't offer to clean your fish for you in Japanese supermarkets.

"So how do we clean this?" Kat asked me. That's what I got for telling her that I CAN cook. I didn't say I can clean fish!
"I... don't know. Wanna try?" I told her, and then I raised the knife.

We were standing in front of the sink for at least five minutes before I decided to just hack away parts of the belly. Needless to say at the end of it, we looked like we murdered someone.

And then comes the frying part. I, for one, am not used to using an electric stove since we have a gas stove at home and I almost always end up burning whatever is in the pan for the days I've tried frying using an electric stove, but that's all we have in the apartment, so I gave it a go anyway. When smoke started rising from the pan until it entered our living room, Kat panicked and we both forgot which button we need to press (everything's in Japanese!) to turn the stove off.

"What's that sound?" This was me, eyes wide because I was hearing something loud.
"Hala! (Oh!) The fire alarm!"

We forgot that the landlord had a new fire alarm installed in the kitchen and we were so surprised when it went off because of the smoke.

I don't know how Kat was able to turn the stove off without wrecking that evil thing, and I was trying my best to get the fire alarm to stop ringing because it was really loud. I got it off the ceiling a few minutes later and just when I was removing the batteries from the thing, the landlord was already ringing our doorbell. I don't really remember what he said because he was speaking in rapid Japanese and I just stood there beside Kat, hiding the fire alarm and batteries behind me while she attempted to explain that we were just frying fish.

After that, whenever when we're at home during the weekends, we just go out and eat at our favorite Ramen place. It was much safer.

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Sara and Tara will also be on tour, and here's where and when you can catch them:

January 12, 2014 – New York, NY: McNally Jackson [venue link]
January 15, 2014 – Salt Lake City, UT: The King's English [venue link]
January 16, 2014 – Provo, UT: Provo Library [venue link]
February 4, 2014 – San Francisco, CA: Books Inc, Opera Plaza [venue link]
February 5, 2015 – Petaluma, CA: Copperfield's Books [venue link]

GIVEAWAY TIME!!! WIN A ROOMIES SURVIVAL PACK!

Here's what you can win:

A Roomie survival kit/gift pack including earplugs, home spa essentials, a signed copy of the book, a special note from the authors, and other fun things—all packed in a shower caddy! (I want one, really!)

Giveaway rules:

US Only (Sorry!)
Winner will be picked January 20th
Feel free to share a roomie story of your own! I'd love to discuss with you!

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Book Blitz: AFTERPARTY by Ann Stampler + Giveaway!

I've yet to post my review for this book but I am so glad to be able to participate in this book blitz! Ann is an absolutely wonderful writer and I loved Where It Began, and now Afterparty is here!

I was able to ask Ann a This or That question for this blitz. Wanna know what it is and what her answer was? Scroll down!

This Or That with Ann Redisch Stampler

Question: Action or Drama?

Oh dear, can’t I have both? Because plot and feeling are both necessary elements. Because action without drama can get kind of tedious. And while I suppose you could have drama if you emoted enough while sitting in a chair, at least a tiny bit of action is always a good thing.

What do you think? I'm not really a drama kind of person, but what Ann said makes sense. It's all in the plot and the feeling!

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About Afterparty:


A toxic friendship takes a dangerous turn in this riveting novel from the author of Where It Began.

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother—whose name her dad won’t even say out loud. That’s why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her…and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she’s everything Emma isn’t.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It’s more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, a bash where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15751652-afterparty

BUY A COPY: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND

About the author:

Ann Stampler was the mild mannered author of literary picture books when she broke out, tore off her tasteful string of pearls, and started writing edgy, contemporary young adult novels set in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and writer’s-helper rescue dog – without whose compelling distraction she would have no doubt penned dozens of novels by now.

Connect with Ann via: Twitter | Facebook | Blog (The Writing Life) | Blog (Novel in the Oven) | Pinterest

Read the excerpt:

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler (Excerpt) by Simon and Schuster

GIVEAWAY!
WIN $50 paypal cash!

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