Settling by Shelley Workinger Publisher: CreateSpace (July 4th, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Source: Author Series: Solid #2 Rating: 5 of 5 stars
At the beginning of the summer, Clio Kaid was one of a hundred teens brought to a secret Army installation. But it was no ordinary camp and they weren’t ordinary kids…
Soon after learning they were the products of a secret genetic experiment, the teens began developing super-abilities ranging from bounding lightness to blocking heaviness; blinding brilliance and the ability to vanish. These same gifts made them targets of a psychopath in officer’s clothing, and they found themselves fighting for their lives.
Picking up where “Solid” left off, Clio and her friends realize that they aren’t ready to go home; they’re determined to stay on campus and continue their journey of self- discovery. But someone doesn’t feel the same way and will do anything to drive them away – even kill.
Friendships will be tested, abilities will evolve, and more secrets will come out as the teens race to stop the killer before he sets his sights on one of them… Review: This series gets better and better! Settling picks up from where Solid left off. Clio and her friends are still at the Army camp trying to find out what abilities they may have due to the experimentation done on their mothers.
While Settling does have drama and suspense, much of that is from the friendships between Clio and the rest of their close group. Clio seems to break away and it's not completely clear as to why. She seems to just simply be a teenager struggling with all the changes going on around her.
Beyond what Clio may be going through, attacks are still occurring at the camp and no one knows who is responsible. We also get introduced to a new character that had me blushing like crazy!! Wooahhh, can't wait to see what happens next with that little plot! Settling doesn't focus as much on what's going on with Clio's friends as Solid did but we still get a chance to see Garrett (who is awesome!), Jack and the rest of the gang. It just seemed that this book gave Clio a chance to make mistakes, learn, grow, and turn into who she truly is.
This series is so unique and engaging! Settling is a quick read but one that you won't be able to put down. I can't wait to see what Shelley Workinger comes up with next for this group of friends! The ending of Settling makes it impossible to not read the rest of the series!
The wonderful Shelley Workinger is here today to talk about her new book Settling (book #2 in the Solid series). I am a huge fan of this series and can't wait to see what Shelley has in store for the readers next.
If you'd like to try to win a copy, she has offered up a signed copy for one lucky winner. Open internationally!
There is so much in a name! Both in fiction and in real life, I find that names often tell stories in themselves.
In the “Solid” series, I definitely wanted to give some “shout-outs” to friends and family members, but I tried to limit those to bit parts so that no one could take the fictional flaws of his or her “Solid” counterpart as a personal insult. Of course, you know what they say happens when you try to make plans! Some of those “cameos” took on lives of their own and are about to blow up into larger roles, so I can only hope my friends are still my friends after their like-named characters start to, well, drift.
As for the main characters, instead of being named for someone, their names stand for something. “Jack” just suits Jack – it’s the most obvious, as some readers have pointed out, because he’s a jack of all trades, but master of none. He says himself how he tries to learn a little about everything, but he’s the only one on campus to have no super ability – yet. And his last name speaks of his soul – Vallard is a combination of valiant and bard, as he’s Clio’s knightly poet.
With Jack, readers learn who is right away, but for some of the characters who stay more peripheral for awhile, the names themselves are spoilers of sorts. (Do not continue reading if you haven’t finished “Solid.”) Alexis, for example, is the “x factor” of book one – the person the bad guy doesn’t see coming and that even Clio and her friends don’t pick up for a long time, but readers might’ve gotten a feeling about because the “x” was right there in the name. Similarly, Janet is a derivative of “Janus,” the two-faced God of Roman mythology.
Clio is the one exception to my keep-main-character-names-impersonal rule, which really is only fitting as her character becomes more and more the exception to every campus rule as the series evolves. Clio – “Calliope” – is named after my daughter, Calliope, whom we call Clio because so many people can’t pronounce it (yes, we get a lot of Cal-ee-o-pay, like a rodeo clown, just like the character complains about in “Solid”). And of course we hope she can get past the butchered pronunciations to appreciate the mythical and musical beauty of the name and why we chose it!
There are several new characters introduced in “Settling,” and their names have those same varying levels of significance – one that just fits, one that revolves around a letter, one that’s odd and awkward, and one that reflects exactly the person within. And there are also some more shout-outs to fantastic readers as a small way to show how grateful I am for their praise of my series and support of my work!
Settling by Shelley Workinger Publisher: CreateSpace (July 4th, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Paperback: 242 pages Series: Solid #2 At the beginning of the summer, Clio Kaid was one of a hundred teens brought to a secret Army installation. But it was no ordinary camp and they weren’t ordinary kids…
Soon after learning they were the products of a secret genetic experiment, the teens began developing super-abilities ranging from bounding lightness to blocking heaviness; blinding brilliance and the ability to vanish. These same gifts made them targets of a psychopath in officer’s clothing, and they found themselves fighting for their lives.
Picking up where “Solid” left off, Clio and her friends realize that they aren’t ready to go home; they’re determined to stay on campus and continue their journey of self- discovery. But someone doesn’t feel the same way and will do anything to drive them away – even kill.
Friendships will be tested, abilities will evolve, and more secrets will come out as the teens race to stop the killer before he sets his sights on one of them…
Prize:
1 winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Settling by Shelley Workinger.
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 International and ends July 1st.
Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
The form must be filled out to enter.
Find Shelley Workinger Goodreads | Solid Series | Facebook | Twitter To purchase Settling keep an eye on this page on amazon. The book will be available on July 4th. You can also go to the series website and click"giveaways" to see the book deal for July. Buy Settling in the month of July, get a free ebook of Solid (Kindle or.pdf). You can email your receipt to Shelley from that giveaway page.
To celebrate the release of the 3 rd book of the SOLID series, Shelley Workinger has put together a giveaway game! EVERY ENTRANT who COMPLETES the task will win ebooks of BOTH “Solid” (Solid #1) AND “Settling” (Solid #2).The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will win SIGNED COPIES of ALL 3 BOOKS, including “Sound” (Solid #3) just as it hits the shelves on Nov. 1 st ! The rules are simple: 1. Visit each blog on the list 2. Leave a quick comment to show you were there 3. Copy the image fragment and paste it into a Word.doc There are 18 stops to visit, comment on, and collect pieces from; once you’ve hit all 18 stops and assembled* all of the pieces to complete the image, email your entry to the author at: SolidNovel@gmail.com. 4. Visit the author’s blog: But What Are They Eating? and leave a comment letting her know you’ve sent in your completed entry. ALL 4 STEPS are important because she will choose the Grand Prize Winner from her blog comments (using Random.org) and then check her email to verify the entry. *Don’t worry; the pieces are in order, so if you follow the list, it’ll be easy.: ) The Game runs from Oct. 25 th through Oct. 31 st ; last day to enter is Oct. 31 st and winner will be chosen Nov. 1 st . Good luck and get gathering! Here’s my piece:
And the rest of the stops: 1. Books Devoured 2. I’d So Rather Be Reading 3. Paromantasy 4. Book Lovers Inc. 5. Magic of Reading 6. Paranormal Indulgence 7. Katie’s Book Blog 8. One Book at a Time 9. To Read or Not To Read 10. Wanted Readers 11. The Itzel Library 12. My Reading Room 13. Reading Teen 14. Confessions of a Bookaholic 15. Royal Reviews 16. Books with Bite 17. Skyla 11377 18. Me, My Shelf & I THANKS FOR PLAYING!
It has, literally, been forever since I have done an IMM. I've been swamped with homework and last week we took my daughter to her first concert (post on that to come later). It was a blast! Here are the books I have received over the past month. Special thanks to Random House, HarperTeen, Bloomsbury, Simon & Schuster, Penguin/Speak, Shelley Workinger, Janenifer Echols, and Ednah Walters.
Review Every Little Thing in the World by Nina de Gramont She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott Promises to Keep by Charles De Lint The Forever Crush (Pink Locker Society) by Debra Moffitt Dark Eden (ARC) by Patrick Carman Flawless (ARC) by Lara Chapman Tighter (ARC) by Adele Griffin Wake Unto Me (ARC) by Lisa Cach Moonglass by Jessi Kirby Bitter End by Janenifer Brown The Lucky Kind (ARC) by Alyssa B. Sheinmel Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) (ARC) by Sarah Mlynowski Wildefire (ARC) by Karsten Knight The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (ARC) by Michelle Hodkins We'll Always Have Summer by Janeny Han Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook Bite Club by Rachel Caine Ordinary Beauty by Laura Weiss (2 copies- one for giveaway) Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky (2 copies- one for giveaway) Forgiven (ARC) by Janet Fox Nocturne (ARC) by Christine Johnson Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn Betrayed (signed) by Ednah Walters Everfound by Neil Shusterman Kiss of Death by Lauren Henderson Tighter by Adele Griffin (2nd copy) The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook Passion by Lauren Kate
Swag Betrayed by Ednah Walters(signed) bookmarks Sabine and Kisri by Moira Rogers (signed) bookplates Bitter End by Janenifer Brown (signed) bookplate and bookmark, plus bracelet (not pictured)
Gift Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Signed Love Story by Janenifer Echols Settling by Shelley Workinger (NOTE: I'm blurbed!!)
Other Goodies The Sisters Brothers by Patrick Dewitt (book and signed poster) A giveaway is going on now for a poster just like this one!
Starcrossed Book Trailer
And I just had to share a brand new book trailer I saw yesterday. I just read Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and it was beyond amazing!! If you haven't added this book to your goodreads list, do it NOW! This book just jumped into my top 3 of this year so far. Check out the UK book trailer!
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.
Sleight by Janenifer Sommersby Publisher: Accendo Press (March 23rd, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Paperback: 328 pages Source: Author (Thank You!) Series: AVRA-K #1 Rating: 5 of 5 stars Her mom is dead. Ghosts follow her around. Her best friend is an elephant. And she’s about to meet the biggest game changer of all: a boy. With a secret.
When circus-dwelling Gemma Flannery learns she will be attending public school for the first time in her seventeen years, little does she know that fitting in with her 12th-grade classmates will be the least of her concerns. A pro at hiding her knack for seeing the dead (“shades”), Gemma is grieving the recent suicide of her mentally ill mother, a process eased by the introduction of her first real love interest, the charming and painfully handsome Henry Dmitri, who is harboring his own collection of dangerous secrets. Together, they will be presented with a frightening challenge: to assume their roles as heirs to a 3000-year-old magical text, the AVRAKEDAVRA, a book the über-rich, sleight-of-being master Lucian Dmitri would do anything to get his hands on. As each terrifying layer in her new reality melts away, Gemma unearths truths that her quiet, nomadic life with the Cinzio Traveling Players is not at all what she’d always cherished. Gemma and Henry must rely on each other to stop Lucian’s diabolical plotting that will bring the world to its tired, scab-riddled knees, and are sent on the flight of their young lives, to save themselves, their families, and the world from the darkest kind of destruction.
Let the chase begin. Review: Sleight was a wonderful, unique tale and I can't wait to see where it goes with the next book. It is about Gemma, a young girl who knows no life beyond what she has while traveling around with circus. They have become her family and that is more important than ever since her mother just passed away. But things are more complicated for Gemma because she can see ghosts.
Soon Gemma learns that the circus will be settling somewhere for a while, which means Gemma has to go to school. Fitting in isn't easy when people know you are with a traveling circus. I have to say that this setting was wonderful because I've never read a book about a circus. I was fascinated with how Gemma lived and what experiences she had while working there. Perfect setting for this story!
Henry is the son of the man investing in the circus and he is immediately interested in Gemma. But the gorgeous Henry isn't exactly the"player" people may think he is. He typically avoids everyone and that makes many of the high school girls angry. People know his father Lucian pretty much owns the town and although he is super hot, no one grabs his attention.until Gemma comes around.
But as they get closer, more secrets are revealed. I was shocked by many of the new developments that occurred throughout this story. Gemma and Henry were easy to love. Their chemistry was strong from the beginning and it was great to see where their relationship went. The other side characters, like Ash, Janie, Ted, and Marlene, were just as wonderful! It could be assumed that people in the circus may be eccentric but they all fit together perfectly and made a great family unit. I couldn't imagine a more non-traditional family, or one that seemed to have as much love for one another.
The secrets and adventures in this book never stopped! I was truly on the edge of my seat. Sleight is action-packed, full of imagination, and highly suspenseful! Janenifer Sommersby created a story unlike any other I've read and I will be anxiously awaiting the next book!
Radiance by Alyson Noel Publisher: Square Fish (August 31st, 2010) Reading Level: Middle Grade Paperback: 192 pages Series: Radiance, book #1 Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she's summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can't quite figure out.
Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he's never met Riley…
Find out more about Alyson Noel Alyson Noel / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase Radiance Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository
Book Trailer
Mistwood by Leah Cypess Publisher: HarperCollins (April 27th, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 304 pages The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.
But when she is needed she always comes.
Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court.. until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart.. and everything she thought she knew.
Find out more about Leah Cypess Leah Cypess / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
1 winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Radiance by Alyson Noel, a Radiance and Dark Flame bookmark, and a SIGNED Mistwood bookmark.
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 October 17th.
Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
The form must be filled out to enter.
*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.
Lots of winners to announce today! Thanks to everyone for entering. The Stand Up Against Abuse contest ends TONIGHT! 3 winners will be picked. More giveaways will be starting soon.
The winner of Forgiven is… Tiffany D.
The 2 winners of Ordinary Beauty are… Kelsey F. and Thao H.
The winner of a signed copy of Settling is… Jel
The winner of a signed Hourglass poster is… brookea_2006
The winner of the Freedom Giveaway Hop is… Diana (artgiote@… ) who picked a copy of Wolfsbane
Congrats to everyone! I have emailed you all and if you have gmail please check your junk folder. Winners must email me back with their addresses within 48 hours.
Jordan from Sleep. Eat. Read is trying to raise money to go to the Austin Teen Book Festival in October and she's also working for a great cause to help do it. She is helping sell merchandise (hoodies, t-shirts, and jogging pants) for Down Syndrome Awareness.
If you are interested in purchasing one of these items, or finding out more information about the cause, you can email jj20030@yahoo.com or go to her blog here.
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.
The Immortals: Everlasting (The Immortals #6) by Alyson Noel (Macmillian Children's Books 7/1/2011) Fins Are Forever (Fins #2) by Tara Lynn Childs (Katherine Tegen Books 7/1/2011) Settling (Solid #2) by Shelley Workinger (CreateSpace 7/4/2011)
Original Sin (Personal Demons #2) by Lisa Desrochers (Tor Teen 7/5/2011) Twisted (Pretty Little Liars #9) by Sara Shepard (HarperTeen 7/5/2011) Sirensong (Faeriewalkers #3) by Janena Black (St. Martin's Griffin 7/5/2011)
Paradise by Jill S. Alexander (Feiwel & Friends 7/5/2011) Falling For Hamlet by Michelle Ray (Poppy 7/5/2011) Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic Press 7/12/2011)
Sass & Serendipity by Janenifer Ziegler (Delacorte Books for Young Readers 7/12/2011) Dragon's Oath (House of Night Novellas #1) by P.C. & Kristin Cast (St. Martin's Press 7/12/2011) Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore (Delacorte Books for Young Readers 7/12/2011)
Starstruck by Cyn Balog (Delacorte Books for Young Readers 7/12/2011) Sometimes it Happens by Lauren Barnholdt (Simon Pulse 7/12/2011) Undercurrent (Siren Trilogy #2) by Tricia Rayburn (EgmontUSA 7/12/2011)
Lost Voices (Lost Voices #1) by Sarah Porter (Harcourt Children's Books 7/4/2011) Luminous by Dawn Metcalf (Dutton Children's Books 7/7/2011) Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris (Delacorte Press 7/12/2011) If you know of any other new releases for July 1st-13th feel free to add them in the comments so others will know about them!
