The Best Reader:
HarperTeen

Today I have something super exciting for you! The wonderful Erin Bowman is releasing the first 8 chapters from her upcoming book, Taken! You can check out all the chapters (bloggers listed below) and I am showing you the last chapter… chapter 8!! You gotta check it out.

Taken by Erin Bowman
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: April 16, 2013
Hardcover: 352 pages
Add to Goodreads
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends… and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

USE GOOGLE TO READ TAKEN — CHAPTER 8

Want to read the previous chapters?

Monday, 3/25 – Chapter 1 Wendy Darling @ The Midnight Garden
Tuesday, 3/26 – Chapter 2 Lena Ainsworth @ Addicted 2 Novels
Wednesday, 3/27 – Chapter 3 Erica Haglund @ The Bookcellar
Thursday, 3/28 – Chapter 4 Shane Morgan @ Itching for Books
Friday, 3/29 – Chapter 5 Stephanie Ward @ A Dream Within A Dream
Saturday, 3/30 – Chapter 6 Krystal Larson @ Live to Read
Sunday, 3/31 – Chapter 7 Alicia Guerrero @ Shooting Stars Mag
Monday, 4/1 – Chapter 8 Jessica Estep @ Confessions of a Bookaholic

Hello brave street teamers! If you have not signed up yet and wish to do so, USE GOOGLE to be taken to the sign up page. Those of you who have signed up already, you should have received an email. Please check your spam folders if you don't see it.
Today we wanted to announce some more street team prizes and some assignments for you guys!
Street Team Prizes
- Signed copy of DIVERGENT
- Copy of INSURGENT (from The Book Depository)
- HUGE box of ARCs (to be announced soon -US/CA only)
- The Hunger Games (paperback)
- Swag packs (including FACTION TATTOOS) each week

Important Links
- We can now use two different links for our buttons and tweets.

The links are:
Dauntless Tumblr page: http://bit.ly/dauntlessfaction HarperTeen's Insurgent page: http://bit.ly/choose_dauntless Please make sure you use the bit.ly links only. They are the only two that count.

Team Dauntless Giveaways
- We are running a giveaway for a NOOK with an ebook of INSURGENT all month long! Please feel free to spread the word about it, or blog about it and you can use the image below. You can link the giveaway to the DivergentFans site. People can enter to win once a day!

- We will be hosting a new book giveaway each day. We will be linking those on twitter so please sign up to win and spread the word about those!
- There are a few more BIG giveaways coming up! Hopefully one each week and the next should be up by Monday or Tuesday. The links will be sent to you guys in the next email.

Cool Images
- Do you have pinterest? We have posted these images there if you'd like to repin them or use them in tweets or blog posts.

Need the button?
This one links to the Dauntless tumblr page.

- You can still use the hashtag #IfIWasFearless to tell everyone the things you'd like to do as well.

- Use the hashtags #TeamDauntless, #DauntlessFaction, and #DivergentNation with the links http://bit.ly/dauntlessfaction and http://bit.ly/choose_dauntless

First Challenge
Each week we will be coming up with a challenge for street team members. Everyone who completes this challenge within the time-frame will be entered to win a swag giveaway for that week. For this week, please try to submit your link by Monday, the 9th.
- The challenge is to make a vlog of you or your friends talking about being DAUNTLESS. Think of the question"What does it mean to be Dauntless?" You can also tie this into #FearlessFriday and share the things you would do if you were fearless for a while. We know that a lot of people have a fear of vlogs, so that can be your fearless task: )

You can link your vlog's youtube URL or, if you'd like, create a blog post and link it that way. Once you have completed this challenge, make sure you sign up below with your link in order to be entered to win the swag! Swag packs include faction tattoos and we may even throw in a surprise book!

We are all so thrilled to have you guys on board. Please contact us with any questions and send us links if you post about the Dauntless team! We'll be sure to re-tweet it: ) We really appreciate all the hard work you all are doing to help Team Dauntless!

Yes, it's true. The End is HERE! Don't be afraid. We have prepared for this and have all the necessary tools for survival. Want to know more about THE END? Check out this link to Epic Reads. I am the blogger for the UNEARTHLY series by Cynthia Hand. It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the series. I even wrote my very first letter to a character in my review of HALLOWED. HALLOWED and UNEARTHLY were both amazing books and I was super excited to get my hands on BOUNDLESS. Even though it is the end *tear!* I will never forget this series!
Today I have an interview with the lovely Cynthia Hand. Be sure to check out the giveaway below for a chance to win UNEARTHLY and HALLOWED!

1. What originally inspired you to write about mythology?

Actua lly, it was a single verse I remember puzzling over in the Bible, years and years ago, something about the Nephilim, the children of angels and men, and how they were the “heroes of old, men of renown.” I was like, whoa, that’d be a lot of pressure, to know that you’re part ANGEL. So when I was writing about Clara, and I knew that she was something supernatural, that verse came to mind, and angels seemed perfect for the story I wanted to tell about destiny and free will.

2. What has been the most surprising thing a fan has done for you?
I am always so thrilled when a fan has come a long way just to meet me. There was also a fan who made me a necklace with little charms for each of my book covers, which was so wonderful and sweet.

3. How do you feel now that the series is wrapping up?
A little nostalgic and teary, truth be told. It’s hard to be at the end. But I’m also excited for the big wide world that’s opened up in front of me, and all that I could write.

4. Clara is such a strong character. When you first started writing this series, what were the most important qualities you wanted her to have?

Well, first of all, I wanted Clara to be flawed. I wanted her to have a lot of room for growth over the course of the series. And I wanted her to have doubts, about herself, about her purpose, about everything. She wonders if she’s a coward, but when push comes to shove, she can be incredibly brave—that sort of thing. I wanted her to love the people around her—her mother, her brother, her friends, deeply and truly, but also for her to struggle sometimes with being selfish, and having to overcome that selfishness. And, maybe most of all, I wanted her to have a good sense of humor, so that we could laugh as we went down the hard roads together.

5. Readers have strong feelings of either being Team Tucker or Team Christian. I know this is difficult, but if you were Clara and had these two hot guys after you, who do you think you would choose?
Hmm, if I was Clara.. I think I’d go with Christian, because I would believe him if he looked at me with those gold-flecked eyes and said we belonged together! Seriously, though, I think I would probably do the good-old pros and cons list, and go with Christian, because his pros list would convince me over the cons. And then I’d throw out the list and ride off into the sunset with Tucker. But then I might like to FLY off into the sunset with Christian. ACK! I don’t know!!!!! Poor Clara!!!!!

Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen (January 22nd, 201 3) Re ading Le vel: Young Adult
Hardback: 438 pages
Series: Un earthly #3
The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her.. even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California — and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one.. With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfil her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Prize:

1 winner will get a Hardcover copy of UNEARTHLY and HALLOWED by Cynthia Hand.

Rules:

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends February 6th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble
REMEMBER: Check out EPI C READS for more fun s tuff about 'The End is HERE' books.

Hello everyone. Each day this month a member of Team Dauntless will be posting a new book giveaway. Some of these will be posted for only 24 hours and others will be up a little longer.

Today I am hosting the giveaway and it will be up for just 4 DAYS. So be sure to sign up early. If you are on the street team, or want to be, please help us by spreading the word about the giveaway if you can. We really appreciate all the hard work you all are putting into this.: )

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of Balthazar by Claudia Gray.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Contest is US only and ends April 24th .
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.
• Lots of extra entries possible.

Good luck and thanks again for helping spread the word about #TeamDauntless.

Hello everyone. Each day this month a member of Team Dauntless will be posting a new book giveaway. Some of these will be posted for only 24 hours and others will be up a little longer.

Today I am hosting the giveaway and it will be up for just 4 DAYS. So be sure to sign up early. If you are on the street team, or want to be, please help us by spreading the word about the giveaway if you can. We really appreciate all the hard work you all are putting into this.: )

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Contest is US only and ends April 21st .
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.
• Lots of extra entries possible.

Good luck and thanks again for helping spread the word about #TeamDauntless.

Hello Dauntless fans! Today we have an incredible giveaway for you. The poster below is SIGNED I Am Number Four movie poster by Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron. It came from the Hot Topic Mall Tour in 2011. In addition to this fabulous prize, the winner will also receive an ARC of the Power of Six.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an I am Number Four movie poster signed by Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron from the Hot Topic Mall Tour 2011 (limited signing) and an ARC of The Power of Six.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Contest is International and ends April 30th .
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The rafflecopter form must be filled out to enter.
• Lots of extra entries possible.
• You can come back and enter each day!

Hello everyone. Each day this month a member of Team Dauntless will be posting a new book giveaway. Some of these will be posted for only 24 hours and others will be up a little longer.

Today I am hosting the giveaway and it will be up for just 3 DAYS. So be sure to sign up early. If you are on the street team, or want to be, please help us by spreading the word about the giveaway if you can. We really appreciate all the hard work you all are putting into this.: )

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of The Selection by Kiera Cass.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Contest is US only and ends April 17th .
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.
• Lots of extra entries possible.

Visiting these 2 pages can be used as extra entries in the form! http://bit.ly/dauntlessfaction http://bit.ly/choose_dauntless

Good luck and thanks again for helping spread the word about #TeamDauntless.

We all love Four, right? Yesss, we do! So what we really need to do is FREE FOUR! How can we do this?
From Harper:
Can’t get enough of Four? Dying to hear more from him? If we reach 35,000 preorders of INSURGENT, HarperCollins will release a piece of never-before-seen original writing by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth—a pivotal scene from DIVERGENT retold from Four’s point of view (squeal)! Grab the widget, pre-order your copy today (if you’ve already pre-ordered, it counts toward our goal!) and spread the word to your friends. Let’s FREE FOUR, Divergent Nation!
YES, it's true! We can actually hear from Four's point-of-view! EPIC! So if you planned on pre-ordering a copy, do it now! Help spread the word so we can all be rewarded with this amazing prize!

And as always, help support #TEAMDAUNTLESS by tweeting and clicking the links below.
http://bit.ly/dauntlessfaction http://bit.ly/choose_dauntless

It's no surprise that I absolutely adore Kimberly Derting. The Body Finder was one of the first books I read as a blogger and I was instantly in love with the story. From that moment I have been a stalker… ahem… fan of Kimberly's.

Believe it or not, it's not just Kim's writing that makes her incredible. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure to talk to. She is nothing but kind and considerate, and when I was just a newbie blogger who had no idea what I was doing, she was one of the first authors to be on my blog.

For all those reasons, I was completely thrilled to be her blogger for the Dark Days tour. I've always wanted to be part of the Dark Days tour, but to have Kim as my author, makes it so much more special!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kim again and, trust me, you guys wanna check out her answers!

1. What are a few of the most important lessons you've learned while writing The Body Finder series so far?

Aside from never, EVER talk to strangers, and learning the difference between “lay” and “lie” (I’m still shaky on this one!), I think I’ve learned to be a more patient person. When I was a newbie author, I was always in a hurry-up-and-wait mode, and now, not so much. I’ve come to appreciate the downtime, even though there isn’t usually much of it.

2. What is the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
For me, it’s trying to set a writing schedule and actually sticking to it. I find myself constantly distracted by Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest (OMG Pinterest!), blogs, and email. Also, my family’s constant need for food and attention can be a little distracting as well!: )

3. Can you tell us one way Violet has changed throughout the series?
Violet has always been really (really!) private, probably stemming from a lifetime of keeping her gift a secret. She’s learning to open up—and even starting to lean on others a little. I think it’ll probably take a while to get the hang of it, though!

4. Can you share with us a few of your favorite lines from The Last Echo?

“Mocking me will get you nowhere.” But he [Jay] leaned down, his breath tickling the side of her neck, and a rush of warmth flooded Violet’s stomach. “There are other ways to break me, though.”

Claire pursed her lips. “Don’t do it, Chels. They’ll spit in your food if you send it back. You don’t want them spitting in your food, do you?”

Violet wanted to nod, but she was too afraid to. Their lips were far too close. Dangerously close.

“I gotta say, if you’re gonna get hurt, this is the place to be. The drugs here aren’t half-bad.”

Sara dangled the familiar surfboard keychain Jay had gotten her when he and his mom had gone to Hawaii. It said Maui on one side and Victoria on the other, the closest he could find to Violet.

There was a thin veneer of frost that coated every surface of her skin and dusted her perfectly tweezed brows and the thick fringe of her lashes, making them look brittle but beautiful.

BIGGEST Questions
This is the biggest Dark Days event so far, so we are celebrating by asking each author
some"biggest" questions.
Biggest Celebrity Crush
George Clooney. (Sorry, honey!)
Biggest Pet Peeve
People who start sentences with “Not to be rude… ” but then say something horrible about someone else.
Biggest Guilty Pleasure
The Kardashians, or any reality show featuring the Kardashians.
Biggest Book-Boyfriend Crush?
If I just say Jace, do you know who I mean??? (Hint: I mean Jace from the Mortal Instruments series.)
Biggest Embarrassing Moment
There was a moment when I was 19, involving an adult filmtitled “Beaverly Hills Cop” which I mistakenly thought was “Beverly Hills Cop”. They are not, I repeat NOT, in fact, the same movie!
Biggest Fan-Girl Moment
When I met Kim Harrison, I was so excited I told her I was a “Harper Arthur” too! Turns out I’m an “author” not an “Arthur.”
Biggest Fear
Anything involving spiders, sharks, vampires, being buried alive, snakes, exercise (I’m sure there’s phobia for that!), Big Foot, or having toilet paper hanging from the back of my pants when I leave the women’s room. I may be a little neurotic.
Biggest Accomplishment
Not ever having toilet paper hanging from my pants when I leave the women’s restroom.
Biggest Addiction
Online shopping. (This may fall under the column Biggest Guilt Pleasure as well!)
Biggest Regret
Not a fan of regrets, so yeah…

The Last Echo is the third book in the Body Finder series.
USE GOOGLE to add The Body Finder Desires of the Dead The Last Echo … to Goodreads

Published by HarperCollins Date: April 17th, 2012

Schedule for leg 4

See the authors in person

Become a fan at facebook.com/PitchDarkBooks

Follow @pitchdarkbooks and use #pitchdarkdays in your tweets
Stay connected to all things Dark Days on the Pitch Dark Facebook page, including exclusive content features every Wednesday! Make sure you check out this amazing widget that will tell you everything you need to know about the Dark Days authors and their books.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of The Last Echo.
• 4 winners will receive a swag pack from The Body Finder series.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US/CA only and ends April 24th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Thanks for entering! Good luck!

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | HarperTeen

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Hello everyone. Each day this month a member of Team Dauntless will be posting a new book giveaway. Some of these will be posted for only 24 hours and others will be up a little longer.

Today I am hosting the giveaway and it will be up for just 4 DAYS. So be sure to sign up early. If you are on the street team, or want to be, please help us by spreading the word about the giveaway if you can. We really appreciate all the hard work you all are putting into this.: )

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Contest is US only and ends April 12th .
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.
• Lots of extra entries possible.

Good luck and thanks again for helping spread the word about #TeamDauntless.

Happy Fearless Friday! Hope you all are hard at work with this week's challenge assignment! Don't yet know what the first Fearless Friday assignment and challenge is? Check it out below.

Your assignment:
Today, we want the Team Dauntless street team to really pull out all the stops to show us what makes you Dauntless. Send us your tweets, pictures, even vlogs of you and your friends doing something Dauntless OR of something you'd like to do. Be sure to include the hashtags #FearlessFriday #TeamDauntless and #DivergentNation in your tweets!

Challenge:
From today through Monday, April 9th, we're asking our fearless Street Team to send us your vlogs talking about being Dauntless. What does being Dauntless mean to you? Get creative and get your friends involved! I know some people have a fear of doing vlogs, so this could be your Fearless Friday task!

Tweet me or any other the other Dauntless team members your videos using the YouTube link or embed it in a blog post and send it to us that way! Need a refresher on who the team members are? Check out the list here!

Interview with Sam Cushion:
Don't know who Sam Cushion is? Well, you should!

Sam Cushion is a talented musician and composer who has gained popularity by his"unofficial" music scores for The Hunger Games and now he has branched off into Divergent inspired pieces! Check out his YouTube page to check out his music! Here is my personal favorite.: )

A proud Team Dauntless member, we asked Sam a few questions about what being Dauntless meant to him as well as about his upcoming Divergent music album!

Team Dauntless: Today is Fearless Friday, if you were completely fearless, what would you do?

Sam Cushion: Probably a lot of reckless and stupid things. The usual, skydive, bungee jump, buy a motorcycle, etc. But more realistically I wouldn't be afraid to speak my mind. I would stand up for my beliefs and opinions even in the face of ridicule and humiliation from people I respect. Sometimes that is harder to do than jumping off a roof.

TD: What does being Dauntless mean to you?

SC: To me it not only means being fearless and brave but also using those strengths to help others. My favorite part of the Dauntless manifesto is"We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another." Being Dauntless isn't just acknowledging problems but fearlessly acting to solve them as well."We do not believe that we should be allowed to stand idly by."

TD: We all love your Divergent music on your YouTube channel, what is your process for creating a score to fit a specific scene of a book?

SC: Once I decide what scenes to write for I map them out on a piece of paper. That way when I go to write the music I know exactly what is going to happen in the scene and I can have appropriate cues for everything. Sometimes though I will just attempt to capture the emotion of a scene. But after I have noted everything I need I sit down and find a melody or percussion line that I like and expand on that until I have a song.

TD: You've recently announced your newest album, Factionless. What can you tell us about it?

SC: It will be released June 19th and will contain 20 songs. It is available for pre-order now at www.Factionless.com. I cannot wait to release it to the world!

For more information head to Sam's website!

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting
Publisher: HarperCollins (April 17th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 358 pages
Source: ARC from Publisher
Series: The Body Finder #3
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
In the end, all that's left is an echo…
Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by"the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new"relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye…

Review:

We all know Violet can see imprints of the dead and it helps her to find out who committed the murder. Now Violet has found others with unique abilities as well. Finally, Violet is able to get to know others who know what she is going through. She doesn't have to keep the big secret all bottled up as she had in the past. She spends more and more time with this group and it takes her a while to feel part of it. She worries about the purpose of her ability, but soon finds her place and appreciates the fact that these individuals know what she has been going through.

I did miss Jay a lot in this story. It seems that as the series progresses, we can really see Violet mature and notice how her situations mature as well. She is no longer a girl worried about high school issues, she has an important job to do. Her situations are much more dark and scary.

If there is one thing I know about Kimberly, she can sure come up with some creepy characters! In The Last Echo we meet"The Girlfriend Collector" and wow, he is very sinister and disturbing. One very unique factor in this series is that we get the point-of-view of the killers. We may not know who they are exactly, but we get a glimpse into their minds and see how they pick out and treat their victims. This particular character wishes for someone to love him and when they don't, he gets rid of them.

If I was Kimberly, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night after writing this stuff, eek! Definitely a book that kept my heart racing and my eyes darting around making sure no one is lurking in the dark. I think Kimberly must really enjoy knowing her readers are absolutely terrified and sleeping with a night light after reading her stories.

If you have been lucky enough to get your hands on the first 2 books in this series, you will devour this one as well. Kimberly Derting never fails to rise to the occasion and bring us heart pounding action, unique plot twists, and a brilliant romance. Delightfully chilling! I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment!

Recommended: Anyone looking for a YA that is truly terrifying! Be sure to start by reading The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead so you don't miss a second of the action!

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | HarperTeen

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Today is the official kick-off of the 4th leg of the Dark Days tour! Kimberly Derting will be visiting my blog next Tuesday, the 10th, with an interview and giveaway so please stop back by!

Schedule for leg 4

See the authors in person

Become a fan at facebook.com/PitchDarkBooks

Follow @pitchdarkbooks and use #pitchdarkdays in your tweets
Stay connected to all things Dark Days on the Pitch Dark Facebook page, including exclusive content features every Wednesday!
Make sure you check out this amazing widget that will tell you everything you need to know about the Dark Days authors and their books.

This week Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) and I have shared with you our interview with Partials author Dan Wells and some of our favorite quotes from the book. Today we are doing an open discussion of the book where we share some of our thoughts and give readers a chance to join in and link up their review of Partials.

Discussion for Partials

Okay, my first thought when thinking of Partials is just how well it was written and how outstanding the characters were. Who was your favorite?

I agree that Partials was written amazingly. It was easy to grow attached to the characters and I think my favorite would have to be Kira, following by a tie between Marcus and Samm. Kira was incredibly smart and I liked how Well's took the time to let her work through her thoughts and figure things out. She's really strong too and to me that always makes a fantasic female lead. Marcus, he was a crack up! I think he had some of the best lines throughout the story and then Samm, he was a shocking surprise and yet still a huge mystery that I can't wait to learn more about in the next book. What about you, who was your favorite and why?

I agree 100%. Kira was amazing and I think it was wonderful how SMART she was. She didn't need anyone to show her the way, she really took charge. Marcus cracked me up. A lot of the book was focused around serious issues and his lines really created a nice distraction for a while. Samm was very surprising! One of my favorite things about this book was simply looking forward to Samm's moments to see what could be discovered from what he said. What did you think about the science part of the story?

To be honest, I was someone worried that the science part of the story would take over, but was happy that the writing made that part of the story fit in nicely and never took away from anything. That's the thing about Partials. There's so much in the story from various different genres that gave this book an amazing twist. In the end, I liked the science part of things. I wanted to see Kira work her way through things, to figure out the puzzle pieces before her. The science part of things really gave me a better chance to see just what a smart cookie she really is. The new"government" in Partials is written somewhat as a whole other character. What did you think of their choices for the people?

Very true. I was honestly worried I would be confused by the science part but it really grabbed my attention quick. It was nice to read a dystopian novel where we know exactly what happened to the humans. Many times that is overlooked. Partials is really a book that has a little bit of everything and that's one of the reasons why I think I enjoyed it so much. Now, as for the government and their choices, on one hand I can see why they worried so much about the people rebelling against them. Not many people were left and they needed order, but it was obvious that the pregnancy age was the biggest factor for the people (as it should have been). Their ideas weren't working so I think it was time for some new choices to be made but I couldn't help but feel bad for the adults in this book because they had literally lost everything.

The government was someone out of control. I cringed at the choices and laws they made for the world. I hated the control they had over everyone. Really, there were no choices left for a free person to make. The government did it all for you. I mean, I understand the need for humanity to continue, and the RM virus made that hard to do, but the control over people was just maddening! In the end, I LOVED Partials. It's one of the best books I've read in 2012 and I am in serious need for the sequel — Fragments in 2013. I really couldn't find anything that I didn't like about this title and I hope more people will pick this one up and fall in love just as much as I did.

Definitely! I had heard amazing things about it but it really blew me away. I can't wait for book 2 to see what happens to these characters next!
What did you guys think? Please leave us (spoiler-free) comments and we invite others to reply and join in. If you haven't read the book yet, just tell us what really makes you want to read it.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of Partials by Dan Wells.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends April 14th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

We wanted to do this feature as a way to promote a new release and get people involved in discussing the book. One of the best ways to find out about a book is to read the reviews.

Please feel free to link your review of PARTIALS that has been posted on your blog or Goodreads.
Rules: Please post ONLY your review of PARTIALS. Please provide the direct link in the linky. You can include your rating of the book.
Example of link: Confessions of a Bookaholic — Partials Review (5 stars)

We would love you to join the discussion about the book. Leave comments, tell us what you thought, tell us why you want to read it, or ask questions. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS! We don't want to ruin it for others, but we'd love to see what everyone thought of the story.

Today I was browsing around twitter and saw that some wonderful packages were being received from the lovely people at HarperTeen. I ran outside like a kid seeing snow for the first time and what do my eyes find? THIS package at my doorstep. I'm seriously a huge fan of Divergent. I flipped out while reading it and have talked about it over and over in the past year.

Out of all the factions to choose from, I wanted to be as brave as Tris and jump right into the danger. I think there is a little bit of everyone who wishes to be that brave. So I gotta say, I was THRILLED to find out I was part of the DAUNTLESS faction! I mean c'mon, the people are brave, determined, and the faction has FOUR and guys like FOUR! Who wouldn't want to be a member??

Team Dauntless

That's why I need your help! The 5 faction teams have been created and it is up to you to find out who you'd like to support. Of course, our main goal is to spread the word about Insurgent's release (May 1st) and have some fun along the way.

Team Dauntless is already brainstorming ways to spread the word about our fabulous team and you can help by visiting the Dauntless tumblr page and tweeting with the hashtags #TeamDauntless #DivergentNation

Join the brave!

Go Team Dauntless!

HarperTeen has just been full of fun lately!

USE GOOGLE to get a look inside the book BALTHAZAR by Claudia Gray.
HarperTeen also has a Grab Bag Sweeps. Each Friday in March, one winner will receive five crushable tales from the Story Crush library. Check it out here https://www.facebook.com/StoryCrush/posts/303758663022274 or here https://www.facebook.com/EpicReads/posts/380938245269724!

Are you a teacher? Check out the Liesel & Po giveaway where the lucky winner will receive 12 copies of the book and a $50 Staples giftcard (new winner each week). PLUS, the grand prize winner will get a classroom skype visit from Lauren Oliver!

Costumes
by
Susan Dennard

Halloween is one of those holidays that I loved growing up, and still love as an adult. Pretty much any excuse to get dressed up is okay by me! Also, Halloween holds a special place in my heart because it was at a Halloween party that I met my husband… I was dressed as Link from the Legend of Zelda, and my hubby was dressed as an American tourist. I looked pretty awesome.; ) And obviously, he looked pretty good since I instantly went over and started chatting him up.

By Halloween the next year, we were a solid couple. But we were also a cheap couple, so I pulled out my old karate gear, slapped on some construction paper circles, and kapow! We were Yin and Yang.

The next year, we were in Germany. Germans don't really do Halloween… so alas, the day came and went. But the next year, we found something almost as good as Halloween: Oktoberfest. We bought traditional Bavarian garb--Lederhosen and a Dirndl--and off we went!

The next year was, yet again, a year without Halloween, BUT I had the great fun of dressing up for a photo shoot. A steampunk photo shoot, in fact, to help promote my upcoming novel Something Strange and Deadly. The great Amanda Plavich found a great steampunk setting (old locomotives!) and I spent a few weeks putting together a costume. I'm super pleased by how it all turned out.

This year--now that I'm back in the US--I'm going to go ALL OUT for Halloween. I have a new steampunk-y costume I'm slowly assembling, and my town does a big Halloween parade. I. Cannot. Wait. What about you all? Do you dress up for Halloween?

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
Publisher: HarperTeen (July 24th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 388 pages
Series: Something Strange and Deadly, #1
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor… from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Something Strange and Deadly.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends November 13th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Signed Copies

Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here. Don't forget to check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post for today!

Title: Halloween in January
by
Ned Vizzini

Sometimes I get very desperate to write things. It usually happens when…

• I read things by people that I wish I had written
• I get asked an innocent question by a person such as my wife: "Hey, why don't you write something for Salon?"

At the start of 2011, this happened to me with the Daily Beast. I wanted to write something for them so I came up with a few pitches. (If you haven't written for a magazine or website, the basic thing you do is come up with pitches — one to three paragraphs long — and get them into the hands of editors, who then give you the go-ahead or pass.)

One of my pitches started like this:
"Unlike many subcultures, Goth has a birthday: February 27, 1981, when an article headlined"The Face of Punk Gothique" ran in the UK music journal Sounds.

Since then, Goth has gone global, reaching its greatest cultural penetration with Twilight; 30 years on it looks more solid than punk. This year, goth will be re-examined in Goths: A Guide to an American Subculture."
To try and sell that pitch, I went to a Goth party at the start of 2011. It was the first Goth party I had ever been to. I was invited by my friend La Carmina, who's one of these people who has found an amazing niche in life: she's a Goth and Harajuku fashion and Japanese pop culture expert.

Studies show this is the second-best expert you can be:

It turns out that these Goth parties happen frequently in Los Angeles. The one I went to was at Bar Sinister, but they also happen at this place called the Mayan that's like a Central American temple:

There's this whole community of Goths that come out for them. I thought that Goths had faded out but when I met La Carmina, I was astounded at the amount of leather-clad people around her. Not everyone was dressed in leather though. Some, like La Carmina's friend Sebastiano Serafini, opted for sumptuous vests and horns.

[l to r: Sebastiano Serafini, La Carmina, friends]

Some, like me, wore jeans. But I had to change my look a little bit to fit in.

I couldn't show up with my beard. So I went from this -- <--- to this --->

I remember the feel of my wife's makeup. I remember the mascara most of all. It felt like my eyes were a thousand feet tall. As I walked around Bar Sinister looking at everyone dressed up, I felt the freedom of distance. It was sort of like I was wearing glasses, as if I had a slight barrier between me and the world. I wasn't Ned anymore, I was Goth Ned — or maybe it was better for me to go back to my birth name for one night?"Edison?" I took some pictures --

-- and I ended up having Halloween in January. I never did write about the Goth party for the Daily Beast, but I wrote some different pieces for them. And now I've written this. Happy Haunted Halloween!

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (September 25th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 400 pages
Given the chance, fifteen-year-old Peregrine “Perry” Eckert would dedicate every waking moment to Creatures & Caverns, an epic role-playing game rich with magical creatures, spell casting, and deadly weapons. The world of C&C is where he feels most comfortable in his own skin, so when his parents ship him off to summer camp Perry is sure he’s in for the worst summer of his life.

Everything changes, however, when Perry gets to camp and stumbles into the World of the Other Normals. Perry’s new otherworldly friends need his help to save their princess and prevent mass violence. As they embark on their quest together, Perry realizes that his nerdy childhood has uniquely prepared him to be a great warrior in this world, and maybe even a hero.

Bestselling author Ned Vizzini delivers a compulsively readable and wildly original story about the winding and often hilarious path to manhood.

Be More Chill

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a SIGNED copy of The Other Normals, Be More Chill, and It's Kind of a Funny Story.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends November 8th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | YouTube

Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.

Some thoughts on my childhood swing set…
by
Erin Bowman

I'll be honest upfront: I am the biggest wuss alive.

I jump at the drop of a pin, clowns scare me to death, and I absolutely despise horror movies.

I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that my cousin told me The Exorcist was a comedy and made me watch it with her when I was about ten years old. It was the first"scary movie" I'd ever seen, and it scarred me for life. Halfway through the film my cousin fell asleep on the couch. I was so terrified at this point that I had a blanket over my head and was watching through the breaks in the knitting. Sure, I could have turned the movie off, but I forced myself to finish it. I needed to know that everything would turn out okay.

I saw this face every time I closed my eyes for the next several months:

<caption: I regret googling this photo. The image results page was downright terrifying.

As a result of this childhood trauma, I made a habit of avoiding horror movies as I grew up. To this day I've seen only a handful, and all because I foolishly believed someone who said,"This one's really not that scary. You'll be fine." (Fast-forward to me with my head on their shoulder, asking them to tell me when it was safe to look again.) I'm shockingly a huge fan of TV's Supernatural, although I truly don't know how I got through the first several seasons; something scary seems to jump out every other minute. And let's not talk about that"Everybody Loves a Clown" episode. (I may or may not have almost cried.)

So why I am telling you all this? Because while I don't have my own real-life ghost story to share, I think this look at my past will better help you understand why I find the following so terrifying:

I grew up in rural Connecticut, on a mountain street that was part of a historic district. Connecticut seems to have more ghost stories per acre than should be possible for a single state. For example: the house next to us was supposedly haunted. No family ever lived there longer than a year or two, and when they moved out, they'd always say the same thing:"The place is small… We want something bigger… I always got a strange vibe when I was home alone--like there was someone else in the house with me."

Yeah. Creepy.

My parent's house is this old cape, set right into the mountain and surrounded by woods. The backyard was great for sledding, but absolutely nothing else because it was so darn steep. It had only one level section in the lower corner of the property, and that's where my childhood swing set stood.

(In hindsight, a level portion of land among an otherwise drastic incline sounds terribly unnatural, but as a child, and even as a teen, the thought never once crossed my mind.)

A few years ago I was home for the holidays, and everyone was sitting around the dining room table. We somehow got to talking about local ghost stories. I said something about how it would be creepy to buy an old house if you knew someone died in it, let alone haunted it.

And my mom goes:"Oh, someone died here."

To which I practically screamed:"In this house?! MOM! OMG!"

And she just calmly looked at me and said,"There used to be a pool in the backyard. Right where the swing set is. Some girl drowned in it."

Cue a million visuals of this, haunting me for forever:

<caption: If I stare at this photo long enough, I can psych myself into believing she's about to crawl out of the computer exactly like she crawls out of the TV in the film.>

I have not ventured down to that swing set since my mom revealed this lovely, historic detail. I can't look at it the same way, let alone stand where that swimming pool used to be. The thought that for years I merrily pumped my legs on swing that was hovering over the same exact spot some poor girl drowned makes me sick. And these days, if I step outside at my parents house at night, I have to almost immediately scurry inside because of that feeling. You know the one-- the sensation that someone is watching you.

The house itself has never shown any signs of being haunted, but who knows about the backyard. And I don't care to find out. Ever.

Taken by Erin Bowman
Published: HarperTeen (April 18th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Series: Taken, #1
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends… and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive everything above! An ARC of TAKEN (EEK!) and cool stickers (some signed!).

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends November 1st.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter

Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here

Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (September 18th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 294 pages
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Summary:

SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. House party.
White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Review:

Meg and Minnie are excited to join this little party and, especially, to get to see the school hottie T.J. When they get there the teens do get to have a bit of fun but then things start getting a bit crazy. They find a DVD and the ten of them can't help but watch as ominous messages appear on the screen talking about pay-back.

At first they try to brush it off but then the teens start getting killed one by one. The mystery behind this book is so intense! I had no clue who the killer would be or how they would be connected to the story of the house. I kept second-guessing my choices and considering if it could be Minnie, T.J., or even Meg herself.

The visuals in this story are amazing. It's dark, stormy, intense! You can't help but be sucked into it and feel like you are actually there trying to run for help but finding that escape is impossible. Beyond that, we do have the connection between Meg and T.J. It was a bit if light in this dark tale. I enjoyed getting to know them and discovering their backstory as well. I thought they were adorable with their little flirtations. Then the killer has to go and ruin it all!: )

If you love horror stories, or a book where you can really picture each scene, you need to read this one. I'd love if this was a movie. I'd have to watch it in the daytime with 100 people, but still, I'd love it.

I can't wait to read more from Gretchen!

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Defiance by C.J. Redwine
Published: Balzer + Bray (August 28th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 403 pages
Series: Defiance, #1
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Summary:
Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan--the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Review:

Rachel Adams is not like the other girls of Baalboden. She isn't interested in pleasing people or learning how to cook or clean. She is much more interested in learning how to fight and take care of herself. The only person Rachel has is her father and they have a strong bond. But then one day he doesn't return from his courier job and Rachel knows something has gone wrong. Since she is still young, she must have a protector. Her father had written that her protector would be Logan, his apprentice. He knew that Logan would be the best person to care for Rachel.

Unfortunately, Rachel and Logan don't have the best of relationships. Rachel had told Logan that she had feelings for him a few years earlier and he shot her down. The last thing Rachel needs, or wants, is to have to live with Logan.

Logan and Rachel are similar in a lot of ways; both strong, passionate, and loyal. This is good but it also leads to quite a few disagreements between the characters. For a while I wondered if they'd even be able to develop a friendship, much less a romance.

In this world, there is a Commander who rules all and has tremendous power. The people of the city depend on him for safety but he is manipulating them all. Beyond the walls no one is safe. The creatures come out randomly, at times, and people know they won't survive. But regardless of that, Rachel is willing to risk her life on several occasions in order to find the truth about her father.

Defiance contains such a complex world and there are still many, many more questions to be answered. I can't wait to delve into Deception and see where this world takes us.

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