Partials by Dan Wells Publisher: Balzer + Bray (February 28th, 2012) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 472 pages Source: Publisher Series: Partials #1 Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.
When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.
Review:
If you are a reader who likes a challenging book, Partials is the one to grab! Partials was a surprising read for me. I expected it to be great but it really brought a lot of science and detail into a dystopian world. Most of the humans have been killed by an airborne virus. The ones who have survived are scrambling to find a way to save the children being born, and soon dying, from the disease as well. So far, no child has been born immune and it seems the human race will soon die off completely.
Kira is a medic. She is a 16-year-old who is intelligent far beyond her years, and her and her friends are well aware of the issues that plague the human race. To make things worse, it's not just the virus causing issues. Politics are causing people to rebel and n ow the leaders are trying to show more power as a way to make people listen.
Soon, Kira comes up with a plan that she feels will help save the humans. She will study a Partial, an engineered being that everyone feels is responsible for the spread of the virus years ago. Her and her friends go into dangerous territory to find a Partial and this journey shows her a lot more than she expected.
Dan Wells is a brilliant writer. The world we are introduced to in Partials is scary, desolate, and all too possible. A virus spreading quickly across the planet is a real threat so I think that's why Partials is such a frighting story. Dan brought a lot of science into this story. He didn't leave us with questions as to what exactly had happened to the rest of the humans. We know about the virus, what it did to the victims, and how it spreads. I loved that the readers can really feel like they take part in deconstructing the virus itself and seeing what can be done to stop it. This was really a book that allows readers to step back and think about what's going on, and attempt to figure it out with the characters.
Although few humans survived, I got a good idea of how the remaining population lived in their new surroundings. The young adults (and very young teens) were critical to the survival of the race. The political figures always made that clear and in a way it showed how the younger population had more power than one would think
The characters we meet in Partials were so well developed and interesting. Kira was intelligent, focused, and extraordinarily brave. She thought of herself last. Her friends were always at the top of her list. Kira's friends were each so different and brought so much to the story.
Probably the most surprising part of this book to me was just the visuals. Dan Wells used honest, descriptive language to describe a world that is harsh and ruined. Everything from the broken roads, abandoned homes and skyscrapers, decaying remains, and wild animals were things I could picture with such clarity. I saw it like a movie or one of those Discovery shows that that go through what would happen if humans didn't exist. It's so frightening.
If you are thinking of taking a chance and reading a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel, pick up Partials!
Dan Wells did a remarkable job bringing this world to light and showing a harsh reality. Partials had everything I could hope for in a fabulous YA novel!
Recommended: Lovers of post-apocalyptic/dystopian, science fiction, with strong characters and outstanding world-building.
Hello everyone… it's time for another post for our second month of Blogger Talk: Novel Exposed!! Today we have a exciting and very different, yet fun interview with Partials author, Dan Wells. We hope you'll enjoy it, as much as we have. A quick message: Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) and I would love to thank everyone who participated in last months discussion. We're still working out the kinks of this new feature for both of our blogs, but we believe it's been a great addition for each of us. We hope you guys will continue along with us for the journey as we bring you new and exciting books and authors each month.
Title: Partials (Partials, #1) Author: Dan Wells Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 472 Pages (February 28th, 2012) Add Partials to: Goodreads Order Here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository
Synopsis: Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partialsóengineered organic beings identical to humansóhas decimated the worldís population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanityís time is running out.
When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friendís pregnancy, sheís determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the warís origin that she never knew to ask. Top 5 Interview:
1. Give us 5 words you would use to describe Kira? Smart, Brave, Reckless, Temperamental, Determined
2. 5 words you would use to describe the"world" we see in Partials? Decaying, Empty, Overgrown, Dangerous, Waiting
3. Tell us 5 ways we would know someone is a Partial? 1- They're stronger, faster, and tougher than a human. 2- They're trained in battle. 3- They heal at a superhuman rate. 4- They can communicate silently with other Partials, which also means: 5- You can tell someone's a Partial if you are a Partial yourself
4. The 5 major survival skills humans would need in order to stay safe. 1- Stay away from old houses; most of them lack steel construction and could collapse if you're not careful. 2- You can find water almost everywhere, but make sure you purify it first. The Old World put a lot of scary chemicals into the soil. 3- Most canned food is still good, so you can find food almost anywhere (but watch out for cans that are bloated or swollen--they've gone bad). 4- Stay away from Partials at all costs. 5- Partials aren't the only bad guys. Wild animals have reclaimed most of the planet, and unscrupulous humans might be the most dangerous threats of all.
5. What are 5 symptoms of the RM virus?
1- Intense fever. 2- Loss of bodily fluids (mucus, urine, sweat), and with that the threat of dehydration. 3- Hallucinations. 4- Loss of muscular control. 5- Destruction of the immune system.
Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy touring schedule to stop by today and be part of this months Blogger Talk. It was great to have you here, you're more than welcome anytime and we're looking forward to having you stop by again later this week when we share some favorite quotes with everyone.
Find Dan Online:
Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Check out my review of Partials HERE!
Book Trailer:
Be sure to stop by again later this week for quotes from Partials and discussion post we hope you'll join in on to help us celebrate this FANTASTIC book and author.
Hello again! It's time for another post for this months Blogger Talk! Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) and I, along with Dan have put together some of our favorite quotes from the book. Check them out and see what you guys think. We'd love to hear your comments!
Title: Partials (Partials, #1) Author: Dan Wells Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 472 Pages (February 28th, 2012) Add Partials to: Goodreads Order Here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository
Synopsis: Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partialsóengineered organic beings identical to humansóhas decimated the worldís population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanityís time is running out.
When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friendís pregnancy, sheís determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the warís origin that she never knew to ask. Quotes from Partials:
Top 5 Favorite Quotes of Dan's - Owen Tovar: "War, see, is when two sides fight, maybe not evenly, but at least they both get a few swings in. What we call the Partial War was mankind getting mugged in an alley."
Duna Mkele: "Let us assume, just for the moment, that whatever the Partials are planning is larger in scope than the murder of one teenage girl."
Nandita Merchant: "Each life has a different purpose, and some people can find their purpose more easily than others. The key, the most important thing you can ever know, is that whatever your purpose is, that's not your only choice."
Kira: "I don't know if 'we're stupider than they think we are' is a really great attack strategy."
Isolde: "If you can't know the truth, live the most awesome lie you can think of."
A Couple of My Favorite Quotes - "No matter how they spun it, no matter how much they tried to focus on the positives, the ugly truth was that there simply weren't any children anymore. They were closing the school because they had run out of students. The teachers had done their job, but the doctors hadn't. -- page 12 (Kira)
"I've never been this wet in my entire life," said Kira."Even immersed in a bathtub I swear I was dryer than I am now." "Look on the bright side," said Marcus. Kira waited. "This is the point," she said,"at which you would traditionally suggest a bright side." "I've never been a real traditional guy," said Marcus."Besides, I'm not saying I know a bright side, I just think this would be a great time to look at one." -- page 45 (Kira and Marcus)
"Wake up sleepyhead," said Kira, bumping Marcus's ear with her shoulder."We're almost home." "I didn't order sushi." "What?" Marcus opened his eyes warily."What did I say?" "Nothing I have to smack you for. You're lucky you were dreaming about food instead of girls." "I'm male," said Marcus, rubbing his eyes."It was a fifty-fifty shot." -- page 73 (Kira and Marcus)
A Couple of Lisa's Favorite Quotes - "So tell us about yourself," said Marcus, settling into a couch."If I'm going to spend the while night waiting for you guys to stop flirting and shoot each other, I want to at least be entertained." -- page 54 (Marcus)
"Just bring something to share this time," sad Kira, turning back to Marcus and tapping him pointedly in the chest."I'm not covering for you like last time." "That was a one-time thing," said Marcus, laughing,"and it wasn't last time, it was four times ago, and I've covered your share way more than that." "I'm just saying," said Kira, picking him again in the chest,"I don't want my food-for-nothing, freeloader boyfriend to make me look bad in front of everybody. Again." She poked him one last time, glared at him playfully, then poked him again for good measure. "Do you poke all the boys, or I am Special?" She leaned closer."It's just you." She kissing him on the cheek."Until somebody better comes along." -- page 76 (Kira and Marcus)
"Wake up sleepyhead," said Kira, bumping Marcus's ear with her shoulder."We're almost home." "I didn't order sushi." "What?" Marcus opened his eyes warily."What did I say?" "Nothing I have to smack you for. You're lucky you were dreaming about food instead of girls." "I'm male," said Marcus, rubbing his eyes."It was a fifty-fifty shot." -- page 73 (Kira and Marcus)
"Well, thanks for not shooting anyone, I guess" said Marcus."My contribution was to somehow refrain from peeing myself. You can thank me later." -- page 347 (Marcus)
It looks like this month Lisa and I managed to have one of our favorite quotes be the same. And I think it's telling that most of our quotes have Marcus in them. He was very entertaining to say the least. Also, the quote of Dan's from Isolde was one I almost used as well. That scene was a good one. *Note: The quotes from Lisa were taken from an ARC copy of Partials.
Don't forget to check out the Interview with Dan >>>CLICKING HERE<<< Again, we can't say thank you enough for taking the time out of your busy touring schedule to stop by a few days this week and be part of this months Blogger Talk. Thanks for everything!
Find Dan Online:
Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Check out my review of Partials HERE!
Book Trailer:
Be sure to stop by again later this week for our Partials discussion post. We hope you'll join in on to help us celebrate this FANTASTIC book and author.
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 Partials by Dan Wells.
Rules:
You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
Name and email must be provided.
Contest is US only and ends April 27th.
Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
The form must be filled out to enter.
Lots of extra entries possible.
You can click the links below to support Team Dauntless and see the latest news from the faction. 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.
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:
I have adored Kimberly Derting for years and her Body Finder series was one of my first paranormal loves. I remember finishing Desires of the Dead and desperately wanting to read the next book just to see what would be in store for Violet and her new job with the mysterious Rafe and the rest of the psychic team led by Sara Priest. Not that I would ever want Violet to forget about Jay (impossible as that would be), but it's always nice to throw something new in there and see what happens.
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!
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
4/3 — Kimberly Derting at Confessions of a Bookaholic 4/5 — Jill Hathaway at Down the Rabbit Hole 4/10 — Kimberly Derting at Confessions of a Bookaholic 4/12 — Jill Hathaway at Down the Rabbit Hole 4/17 — Dan Wells at Bookalicious
See the authors in person
Kimberly Derting (THE LAST ECHO), Jill Hathaway (SLIDE), and Dan Wells (PARTIALS) April 18th @ 7pm | Books & Co | Dayton, OH | Supernatural Snark April 19th @ 7pm | Anderson’s Bookshop | Naperville, IL | Live to Read April 20th @ 7pm | Barnes & Noble | Burlington, MA | Books Complete Me
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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.
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 April 14th.
Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
The form must be filled out to enter.
You will find this form on A Life Bound By Books as well. PLEASE only fill it out ONCE!
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.
This is a super hard list for me. I've read a huge number of books this year. 154 books as of today! Picking 10 of my favorites makes me break out in a sweat! But I will try my best.
Title: Deity Author: Janenifer L. Armentrout Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Add to Goodreads "History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time."
Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner… and so is Aiden.
If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time"training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.
But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.
Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate.
Title: Easy Author: Tammara Webber Add to Goodreads A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?
When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.
Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.
When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.
Title: Onyx Author: Janenifer L. Arme ntrout Publisher: Entangled Publishing Add to Goodreads Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…
Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.
Something worse than the Arum has come to town…
The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.
But then everything changes…
I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?
No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…
Title: Partials Author: Dan Wells Publisher: Balzer + Bray Add to Goodreads The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.
Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.
Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulsepounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.
Title: In Honor Author: Jessi Kirby Publisher: Simon & Schuster Add to Goodreads Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.
Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn.. and ruggedly good-looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?
Title: Taking Chances Author: Molly McAdams Add to Goodreads Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.
Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.
She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled… they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.
Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.
Title: The Secret of Ella & Micha Author: Jessica Sorensen Add to Goodreads Ella and Micha have been best friends since they were kids. But one tragic night shatters their friendship and their lives forever.
Ella used to be a rule-breaker with fiery attitude who wore her heart on her sleeve. But she left everything behind when she went to college and transformed into someone that follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home.
Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. If Micha tries to tempt the old her back, she knows that it will be hard to resist.
Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella’s skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he’s determined to bring his best friend, and the girl he loves back, no matter what it takes.
Title: Born at Midnight Author: C.C. Hunter Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Add to Goodreads Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…
One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.
Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.
Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…
Title: The Edge of Never Author: J.A. Redmerski Add to Goodreads Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.
Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.
With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.
But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?
Title: Anew Author: Ch elsea Fine Publisher: Firefall P ublishing Add to Goodreads Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery… until she met a boy with a familiar voice.
Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.
Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past… might just be the death of her.
Now it's YOUR turn! Link up your list using the Linky below! Lisa from A Life Bound By Books is hosting the giveaway for today!! Note: This is the SAME Linky on all FIVE Co-hosting blogs.
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 addThe Body FinderDesires of the DeadThe Last Echo… to Goodreads
Published by HarperCollins Date: April 17th, 2012
Schedule for leg 4
4/3 — Kimberly Derting at Confessions of a Bookaholic 4/5 — Jill Hathaway at Down the Rabbit Hole 4/10 — Kimberly Derting at Confessions of a Bookaholic 4/12 — Jill Hathaway at Down the Rabbit Hole 4/17 — Dan Wells at Bookalicious
See the authors in person
Kimberly Derting (THE LAST ECHO), Jill Hathaway (SLIDE), and Dan Wells (PARTIALS)April 18th @ 7pm | Books & Co | Dayton, OH | Supernatural Snark April 19th @ 7pm | Anderson’s Bookshop | Naperville, IL | Live to Read April 20th @ 7pm | Barnes & Noble | Burlington, MA | Books Complete Me
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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.
Rules:
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.
"This novel was absolutely surprisingly fantastic: a book I couldn't put down, a world I didn't want to leave behind, and characters that I'll never forget." — Miss Remmers
Release Date: February 28th, 2012 Publisher: Harper Teen Challenges: eBook Challenge, +75 Challenge, NetGalley Challenge
"The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there."
"Partials" was a fantastic novel that I really knew nothing about before I started it — other than that everyone seems to enjoy it! While I did struggle a little bit in the beginning with "Partials" due to all the terms I didn't know (Break, Partials, RM, etc), after the first fifty pages I couldn't put this book down! It was brilliant! I actually exclaimed out loud in a few classes! When I had about 140 pages remaining I left for a hockey tournament in Detroit Lakes, MN and despite the audiobook I was listening to, my thoughts just kept returning to Samm and Kira! I ended up finishing the novel in the warming room at the hockey rink as I "watched" the other Bismarck team play.
I found myself in several different instances, in class and at the rink, taking a huge intake of breathe in a surprised fashion (does that make sense?) — loud enough so that students and hockey parents were like "What are you reading?!" At one point in class, I had to shut the Nook and say, "Goodness that was SO romantic!" There were only a few minutes left of class so I explained to the students what I was reading and I hinted at the "romance."
Speaking of romance, was anyone else rooting for Samm? Just wondering...
I know this review is a bit "everywhere" but really — just take my advice and pick up this novel! There really wasn't a single thing that bugged/irked me about it. Despite the "heavy" overtones, Marcus brought some great humor to the story that I really enjoyed; a lot of times I feel like humor in YA is so over dramatized that I get frustrated — not so with this book! In addition to the funny, there were some great surprises and twists that I never EVER saw coming — I didn't even really have an inkling that a surprise was coming (which is probably why I can't help but gasp out loud)! I was even able to somewhat understand or at least deduce what all the medical lingo meant!
This novel was absolutely surprisingly fantastic: a book I couldn't put down, a world I didn't want to leave behind, and characters that I'll never forget. There were moments that were tear-jerking sad, laugh out loud funny, and (as I mentioned) exclaim out loud surprising! How's that for adjectives!
Favorite Memorable Quotes: page numbers are in reference to the NetGalley ebook. "The first human to communicate with another species in eleven years and he tells me to shut up" (158). "Well thanks for not shooting anyone, I guess. My contribution was to somehow refrain from peeing myself. You can thank me later" (251).
-Connect with the Author: Blog | Goodreads | Twitter -BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook
Hosted by Sheila — Thank you! Last week I read "Double" by Jenny Valentine; a great read by the way!
I'm currently reading "Partials" by Dan Wells. Besides "Partials, " I'd also like to read "Hearts That Survive: A Novel of the Titanic" by Yvonne Lehman as well this week.
"The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there."
"On April 15, 1912, Lydia Beaumont is on her way to a new life witha boundless hope in love and faith. Her new friendship with Caroline Chadwick is bonded even more as they plan Lydia’s wedding on board the “grandest ship ever built.” Then both women suffer tragic losses when the “unsinkable” Titanic goes down. Can each survive the scars the disaster left on their lives?Decades later, Alan Morris feels like a failure until he discovers he is the descendant of an acclaimed, successful, heroic novelist who went down with the Titanic. Will he find his identity with the past, or will he listen to Joanna Bettencourt, Caroline’s granddaughter, who says inner peace and success come only with a personal relationship with the Lord? Will those who survived and their descendants be able to find a love more powerful than their pain?"
While I'm hoping to finish both novel this week, I will also be working on BBRAW (look for prompts to be posted tomorrow)! If you haven't heard of it or planned on participating — check it out now!
Also — this NEVER happens! Is everyone else staying on track for their year-end goal?
On March 11th, Lauren Oliver, Claudia Gray, and Dan Wells' Los Angeles Dark Days event will be livestreamed on http://www.livestream.com/epicreads via Tiffany of http://www.abouttoread.com/.
In the meantime, you can check out this amazing video of an event Lauren did yesterday at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC http://www.livestream.com/epicreads/video?clipId=pla_3eeb694c-f9e0-4bfe-a03b-2e2c90f86aad&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb.
I watched a few of the livestream events last year and they are so much fun! I plan to check this one out too.
Tour Dates March 9th @ 6:30pm | Books & Books | Coral Gables, FL | Harmony's Radiant Reads March 10th @ 2pm | Barnes & Noble | Alpharetta, GA | One Page at a Time *March 11th @ 4pm | Vroman’s | Los Angeles, CA | For Those About to Read *LIVESTREAM event
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Follow @pitchdarkbooks and use #pitchdarkdays in your tweets Remember to check out the Dark Days of Supernatural page for fun widgets, book samplers, and event information.
I'm officially amending my statement from a month ago — February 2012 was the busiest month by FAR! The top three posts read from February were Nonfiction for High School Students, Review: Dead to You, and Review: The Necklace, respectively. The search term most used to find my blog was "nonfiction." If direct numbers floats your boat — we're going steady at 727 GFC followers!
February brought four reviews and 28 posts. My favorite book of the month would have to be "Partials" by Dan Wells.
The big news this month was the announcement of the Titanic Reading Challenge! The challenge officially begins in April!
For BBRAW to be a complete success!:)
Read at least 5 NetGalley Books (completed 3)
Post seven reviews (completed 4)
Switch to WordPress
The majority of these goals from February were not met (besides #1) due to the unexpected death of my father. I so appreciate all of the emails, texts, and tweets from everybody. The support has been overwhelming. Thank you.
1. Read three NetGalley Books 2. Post 5 Reviews 3. Switch to Wordpress
Hey everyone. I have a big pile of books from this past month. These include review books, Christmas gifts and purchased books too so there is a lot! Thanks to all the wonderful publishers (and Lisa from A Life Bound By Books!) for sending these fantastic books!
Review The File by Angelyn Stark Extraordinary by Adam Selzer Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger A Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan Blood Sun by David Gilman Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer Pretty Little Liars: Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard Girl Meets Boy by Various Authors Hallowed by Cynthia Hand Fracture (ARC) by Megan Miranda The Way We Fall (ARC) by Megan Crewe Slide (ARC) by Jill Hathaway (2nd copy) Immortal Beloved (ARC) by Cate Tiernan Switched by Amanda Hocking The Ivy: Rivals (ARC) by Lauren Kanuz Glimmer (ARC) by Phoebe Kitanidis The Last Echo (ARC) by Kimberly Derting Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James (2nd copy) Partials (ARC) by Dan Wells (2nd copy) The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #5: The Asylum by L.J. Smith Masque of the Red Death (ARC) by Bethany Griffin The Calling by Kelley Armstrong The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont Unraveling (ARC) by Elizabeth Norris The Invisible Sun (ARC) by David Macinnis Gill Social Suicide (ARC) by Gemma Halliday Thumped (ARC) by Mean McCafferty Temptation (ARC) by Alisa Valdes Dark Eden 2: Eve of Destruction (ARC) by Patrick Carman The Selection (ARC) by Kiera Cass Everneath by Brodi Ashton Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters (ARC) by Meredith Zeitlin The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Purchased Crossed by Ally Condie Ruling Passion by Alyxandra Harvey Royally Crushed by Niki Burnham Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson How to Ruin My Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
Gifted Ashfall by Mike Mullin Eve by Anna Carey Crash Test Love (SIGNED) by Ted Michael Anew: The Archers of Avalon (SIGNED) by Chelsea Fine Unbreakable Love (SIGNED) by Angela Carling Dollhouse (SIGNED) by Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian
I got Dollhouse from the BookPerk website. If you haven't signed up yet, DO IT! They have a ton of great offers and signed books come up all the time. It's a great site: ) This is the 2nd signed copy of a book I've purchased. The first was a copy of I Am Number Four signed by the MOVIE CAST!: )
What did you get in your mailbox this week?
*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.
Hello and welcome to the beginning of a Brand NEW Feature that I'll be co-hosting with Lisa from A Life Bound By Books! In this post we'll tell you a bit about the event and what book we'll be focusing on for February.
Blogger Talk: Novel Exposed is a monthly feature where Lisa and I will take one book and read it simultaneously. Throughout the month the book and author will be showcased in reviews, interviews, quotes and more on both blogs. When we post our reviews we'll have a linky set up where we hope you'll link your review to the book for that month.
Then at the end of the month, we'll post a discussion that we've had about the book and hope that others will join in on the discussion about the book in the comments.
We're excited for the event, were excited for this book and we're excited and hope to have all of YOU celebrate this months book. So, read, keep checking back each week for some amazing posts and get ready for the end of the month when we discuss all things EVERNEATH!
March's Novel Exposed Book: Partials By: Dan Wells
Should anyone have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email and I'd be happy to help.
Hosted by Sheila — Thank you! Last week I read completed "Partials" by Dan Wells but didn't quite get around to "Hearts That Survive: A Novel of the Titanic" by Yvonne Lehman so that's basically my goal for this week in conjunction with a successful BBRAW!
"On April 15, 1912, Lydia Beaumont is on her way to a new life witha boundless hope in love and faith. Her new friendship with Caroline Chadwick is bonded even more as they plan Lydia’s wedding on board the “grandest ship ever built.” Then both women suffer tragic losses when the “unsinkable” Titanic goes down. Can each survive the scars the disaster left on their lives?Decades later, Alan Morris feels like a failure until he discovers he is the descendant of an acclaimed, successful, heroic novelist who went down with the Titanic. Will he find his identity with the past, or will he listen to Joanna Bettencourt, Caroline’s granddaughter, who says inner peace and success come only with a personal relationship with the Lord? Will those who survived and their descendants be able to find a love more powerful than their pain?"
Hello and welcome to the second month of a Brand NEW Feature that I'll be co-hosting with Lisa from A Life Bound By Books! In this post we'll tell you a bit about the event and what book we'll be focusing on for March.
Blogger Talk: Novel Exposed is a monthly feature where Lisa and I will take one book and read it simultaneously. Throughout the month the book and author will be showcased in reviews, interviews, quotes and more on both blogs. When we post our reviews we'll have a linky set up where we hope you'll link your review to the book for that month.
Then at the end of the month, we'll post a discussion that we've had about the book and hope that others will join in on the discussion about the book in the comments.
March's Novel Exposed Book: Partials By: Dan Wells
We're really excited about this new feature/event and while February didn't go as we had totally planned — all completely out of our control — we hope that this month we'll be able to iron on some of the kinks and it'll all go a bit more smoothly. At the end of the month we'll be hosting another discussion post that we hope you'll all join us in. So, read the book and then keep checking back each week, we're we'll be hosting various things to help celebrate all things Partials!
Add Partials to: Goodreads
Also, Harper is giving everyone a chance to read an EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT of PARTIALS! Check it out by clicking the image below!
April's Novel Exposed Book: A Temptation of Angels By: Michelle Zink
Add A Temptation of Angels to: Goodreads
If you are an author or publisher and have a book you'd like featured in Novel Exposed, please feel free to contact either of us and include info on your book and what month you had in mind. Please remember that we only feature ONE book a month for this event and that Lisa and I will try to accommodate.
Should anyone have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email and I'd be happy to help.
Here are the books I've received over the past 6 weeks. Lots of great titles I can't wait to read! Thanks for the publishers and authors for these books and other goodies!
Review The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz Partials by Dan Wells Balthazar by Claudia Gray The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison Bewitching by Alex Flinn Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford Gil Marsh by A.C.E Bauer Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley My Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Verra Hiranandani Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo Black Gold by Albert Marrin The Savage Grace (ARC) by Bree Despain A Want So Wicked (ARC) by Suzanne Young Smart Girls Get What They Want (ARC) by Sarah Strohmeyer For Darkness Shows the Stars (ARC) by Diana Peterfreund Arise (ARC) by Tara Hudson Dreamless (ARC) by Josephine Angelini The Story of Us (ARC) by Deb Caletti Those That Wake (ARC) by Jesse Karp Split by Swati Avasthi Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany Cloaked by Alex Flinn Black Heart by Holly Black The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth Trafficked by Kim Purcell Dead to You by Lisa McMann Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler Pure by Julianna Baggott (with scary flying butterfly that came out of the book! EEK) Starters (ARC) by Lissa Price Vampire's Kiss by Veronica Wolff All Wounds by Dina James The Onyx Talisman (signed) by Brenda Pandos (and bookmarks) Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate The Last Echo swag (for the Dark Days tour posts coming up!) Poughkeepsie swag (temp. tattoos, train schedule, beautiful bracelet!)
NOT PICTURED Wanderlust by Kirsten Hubbard The Immortal Rules (ARC) by Julie Kagawa
What did you get in your mailbox this week?
*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.
This is another hard list for me. There are so many amazing books coming out next year. Here are j ust a few o f the ones I am looking forw ard to.
Title: Sweet Peril Author: Wendy Higgins Publisher: HarperTeen Add to Goodreads Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.
Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.
When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?
Title: Taken Author: Erin Bowman Publisher: HarperTeen 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?
Title: Things I Can't Forget Author: Miranda Kenneally Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Add to Goodreads Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.
Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…
This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt… with her.
Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…
Title: Level 2 Author: Lenore Appelhans Publisher: Simon & Schuster Add to Goodreads Three levels. Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).
'I pause to look around the hive — all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories … I've wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.'
Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend … and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.
Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.
Title: Boundless Author: Cynthia Hand Publisher: HarperTeen Add to Goodreads 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.
Title: The Forever of Ella & Micha Author: Jessica Sorensen Add to Goodreads It's the kind of love that owns you, the kind that last forever.
Ella and Micha have been through tragedy, heartbreak, and love. When they are with each other, anything seems possible. But the days of racing cars and passionate kisses are gone now that they are thousands of miles apart.
Ella continues going to school and tries to deal with her irrevocable mistakes. She constantly worries about how her life will end up, and with her father in and out of rehab, she’s having a hard time making it through the days. All she wants is Micha by her side, but she refuses to let her problems get in the way of his dreams.
Micha spends his days traveling the country with the band, but he knows something is missing from his life. Being away from Ella is harder than he thought. He wants her closer to him—needs her with him. But he won’t ask her to leave college, just to be with him.
The few moments they do spend together are fleeting, intense, and filled with passion, but it only makes it more difficult when they have to part. They quickly learn that a long-distance relationship is challenging and it tests their love.
They know they want to be together, but is wanting something enough to get them to their forever?
Title: If You Stay Author: Courtney Cole Add to Goodreads 24-year old Pax Tate is an asshole. Seriously.
He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad-boy with a bad attitude to match.
But he’s got his reasons.
His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with guilt although he doesn’t understand why. What he does know is that he and his dad are left alone and with more issues than they can count.
As Pax grew up, he tried to be the kid his father always wanted; the perfect golden boy, but it didn’t work. His dad couldn’t overcome his grief long enough to notice and Pax couldn’t keep up the impossible perfect façade. So he slipped far, far from it.
Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the ugliness, the black void that he doesn’t want to deal with. If he pretends that the emptiness isn’t there, then it isn’t, right? Wrong.
And it’s never more apparent than when he meets Mila. Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air to his hardened frown, the beauty to his ugly heart. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her, but he quickly realizes that he’s got to figure it out because he needs her to breathe.
When memories of his mother’s death resurface from where he’s repressed them for so long, Mila is there to catch him when the guilt starts making sense. Mila is the one… the one who can save him from his broken troubled heart; from his issues, from the emptiness.
But only if he can stop being an asshole long enough to allow it.
He knows that. And he’s working on it.
But is that enough to make her stay?
Title: Date You To Author: Katie McGarry Publisher: Harlequin Teen Add to Goodreads"I dare you… "
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does…
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all…
Title: Fragments Author: Dan Wells Publisher: Balzer + Bray Add to Goodreads Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?
Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.
The second installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on Earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means--and even more important, a reason--for our survival .
Title: Apollyon Author: Janenifer L. Armentrout Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Add to Goodreads Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.
Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.
The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.
Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself. Don't forget to share YOUR list in the Linky below!Today's giveaway is hosted by Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads NOTE: This is the same Linky on ALL Co-Hosts Blogs.
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt Publisher: Ecco (May 1st, 2011) Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living–and whom he does it for. With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters–losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life–and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love. Giveaway
Prize:
1 winner will receive a limited edition 12"x 18" cover art print.
Print is signed and numbered by the cover artist Dan Stiles.
Printed on thick paper.
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 June 15th.
Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
