A Journey of Books

Kiera Cass

2012-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days where you're just tootling about, doing your normal business (in my case I was about to start keying payroll), and you come across something that stops you in your tracks and totally kills any productivity that might have been in the plans for the day?

I have!

Back in the day (Dane Cook says that's a Wednesday), I was asked to review a self-published book, The Siren, by Kiera Cass. The cover and premise looked cool so I said sure. I'll be honest, it took me a while to actually read the book because it was self-published and I'd been burned by these before. Once I picked it up and decided to take the plunge, however, I fell in love with this book. This is one of those stories that even now, years later, still has stayed with me. I can remember the feel of the book and the emotions that it pulled out of me. I remember thinking, "Wow, this is one talented author," and, "What a unique story!"

But I digress. What was this wondrous thing that stopped me in my tracks today? I received an email from Amazon stating that Kiera Cass had a new book out.

"What?!"

"Really? But I haven't heard anything from her since the release of The Siren."

Well apparently Ms. Cass has been under my radar and found herself an agent. She has a new book set to be released from HarperTeen, April 24, 2012!

The Selection

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

SO EXCITED!

Still alive

2012-01-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

Where has Cinnamon gone?

You may have noticed that reviews have been slow coming. Frankly that's because reading time has been limited. While I have finished close to 12 books since the last review posted here, their reviews will take a bit of time to make it up. At the end of September, I had my second daughter and life with a four-year-old and baby has been hectic.

Look to see more reviews soon!

WITCHLANDERS Review and Kindle Giveaway - Lena Coakley

2011-09-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Publisher: Atheneum
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: August 30, 2011
Blog Tour: Kismet Book Touring
Our Rating:

From Goodreads:

High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.

It’s all a fake.

At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?

But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—

Are about him.

My thoughts:

Imagine two points of action, like the ends of a string, fluttering around in a breeze and slowly drawing together. Suddenly they meet with fireworks, explosions, and huge bursts of color. For me, that just about sums up the POV within WITCHLANDERS by Lena Coakley.

Unlike the cover of the book might lead one to think, the main POV in WITCHLANDERS is not a female, but a male. More to the point, it's actually two different males. We switch back and forth between the stories of Ryder and Falpian, enemies by birth and yet unlikely allies by the time their "strings" finally meet. While the POV switch could be confusing if not worked well, Ms. Coakley obviously put a lot of energy into making sure that they meshed well. I've read books (as I'm sure we all have) where the POV switches can really kill a story. I'm happy to say that in this case, they add to WITCHLANDERS instead of detract.

About this time I always try to consider what my favorite part of the story was. In this case, I'm having a hard time picking one aspect as my favorite. The characters, their struggles, and the conflict between them is done wonderfully and truly builds the story. The world and the history of the Witchlanders and Baen add a fantastical element that keeps the reader engaged and wondering what's going to happen next. If I had to pick one thing, however, I think I would pick the scenery of the story as one of the aspects that really made this book memorable for me. Ms. Coakley did an excellent job building her landscapes and creating a place where the reader could jump in and experience the story along with the characters. Although I've come across many stories that I love, it's not as often that I find a book where I find myself wishing that I could see the scenery for myself and experience the colors, sights, sounds, and smells there. Ms. Coakley creates such a story.

Although WITCHLANDERS didn't seem to have a huge romance emphasis, I think fans of many genres will find something to love here. It has a touch of a high fantasy feel, a bit of romance, and a ton of adventure. Family and personal conflict abounds, hooking the reader and developing into a story that is very difficult to put down until the last page is turned. I highly suggest WITCHLANDERS and, if you haven't done so already, suggest you go find a copy and settle in for some good reading.

*****

The Language of Witchlanders

By the red!

I knew when I was creating the world of Witchlanders that I wanted the characters’ everyday language—even their swear words—to hint at the book’s backstory.

At the beginning of the novel, Ryder, the main character, thinks his heritage as the descendant of witches is an insignificant part of his life—but his language tells a different story. Almost all the swears he uses, like “by the red” and “by the twins,” refer to witches. (Witches wear red, and Aata and Aayse, the prophets of witchcraft, were twins.) The swear, “Aata’s blood!” is particularly significant, because it hints at a dark secret in the coven’s past. These curses were one of the things I used to show that although Ryder might think he has rejected his heritage, he is actually immersed in it every day of his life.

In the Witchlands, the worst thing you can call someone is a “blackhair,” a word people throw around so often that they have almost forgotten it is a racial slur, referring to their enemies across the border, the Baen. When we actually meet a “blackhair,” Falpian Caraxus, his blasphemies reveal a worldview much different from that of the Witchlanders. His favourite swear, “Curses of Kar!” suggests a more violent creator (someone who might actually curse you!) than the mother goddess the Witchlanders imagine.

Because Falpian is a funnier character, some of his swears were chosen for comic effect, like when he finds a body and yells, “Kar’s thousand eyes!” But even that reflects how much Falpian has taken for granted about his religion. He’s never really questioned whether he believes his god truly has a thousand eyes and a thousand tongues or whether this is just a metaphor. And he’s never questioned some of the other tenets of his religion, too, such as his people’s belief that women don’t have souls.

Falpian and Ryder have lived with these sayings and expressions for so long that they don’t hear them anymore, just as they don’t notice the stereotypes and assumptions they have grown up with. It’s only when these two characters meet and form an uneasy alliance that they begin to question their beliefs about each other and about themselves.

Thanks so much, Cinnamon, for having me on your blog!

Lena

About Lena Coakley

Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In high school, creative writing was the only class she ever failed (nothing was ever good enough to hand in!), but, undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She got interested in young adult literature when she moved to Toronto, Canada, and began working for CANSCAIP, the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers, where she eventually became the Administrative Director. She is now a full-time writer living in Toronto. Witchlanders is her debut novel.

Lena: On her Website // On Facebook // On Twitter

*****

Contest Info

Answer the video question (YouTube video embed code listed below) in the comments, you are entered in the Kindle3 Giveaway. Gather up to 15 entries by commenting on each Tour Stop. Open US/Canada

Continue on to the next stops in the tour!

Monday, August 22nd -The Page Turners
Tuesday, August 23rd- The Unread Reader
BONUS post! Tuesday, August, 23rd - The Zealous Reader
Wednesday, August 24th - Books Complete Me
BONUS post! Wednesday, August 24th - Rayment's Reading Rants and Rambles
Thursday, August 25th - We Fancy Books
Friday, August 26th - Read.Breathe.Relax

Monday, August 29th - Emilie’s Book World
Tuesday, August 30th - The Mundie Mom’s
BONUS post! Tuesday, August 30th - YA Booklover's Blog
Wednesday, August 31st - The Enchanted Inkpot
Thursday, September 1st- Well Read Wife
Friday, September 2nd - A Journey of Books

Monday, September 5th- The Story Siren
Tuesday, September 6th - One A Day Y.A.
Wednesday, September 7th - Reading Angel
Thursday, September 8th - Soul Unsung
Friday, September 9th - Alice Marvel’s

Tuesday, September 13th: Announcement of the big prize winner on Lena's Site!

TOUCH THE DARK Review - Karen Chance

2011-08-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

TOUCH THE DARK by Karen Chance
Publisher: Roc
Pages: 307
My Recommended Age Group: Adult
Released: June 6, 2006
Other work: Cassie Palmer Series, Dorina Basarab Series, Short Stories
Our Rating:

From Goodreads:

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with revenge in mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire- and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay.

My thoughts:

My latest find in my quest for something new and different was Karen Chance's TOUCH THE DARK, book one in the Cassie Palmer series. I had seen the books before but kept putting them off. A great kindle deal, however, forced my hand so I bought the books and settled down to pour through the first one.

Much better than I was expecting!

I hadn't heard a ton about these books (perhaps it's the fact that I live under a rock) so I wasn't sure what to expect. I figured the story would be good but I didn't know anything about the character development, scenery, etc. To my pleasure, and yours if you pick these up, this first book was actually pretty good.

Cassie Palmer is a clairvoyant living in a world where vampires, weres and everything else that goes bump in the night roams the streets. Some critters are good and some are...well, let's just say that Cassie has had to run for her life a time or two. Growing up under a vampire as a master, Cassie quickly learned that life is a fragile thing that can easily be taken from you if you don't stay on your toes. Cassie's life is full of suspense with a fair amount of running and hiding thrown in. Unfortunately for her, things are only about to get worse.

Overall, I really liked TOUCH THE DARK. I found Cassie an easy character to like with a good deal of back history and complexity to keep us involved with the story. Each new twist and turn in the story tells us a little more about Cassie and even when we think we have the full picture, Ms. Chance throws another curveball in there that makes us reevaluate our thoughts on Cassie. Along with our main character, the side characters in the story were well developed and add another layer of depth to the story. Their history was just as important to the story as Cassie's and, like Cassie, Ms. Chance gave us the whole picture throughout the course of the book, keeping us hooked fairly well.

The only part that I had a hard time getting through were some of the action and inner monologue sequences. I don't know if there was just too much going on or what, but when the story really started to pick up pace, I had a hard time following along and had to go back and reread a few sections. This could just be due to the fact that parts of the story were fairly complex and tied to other past and future parts. Perhaps my brain just wasn't up to par during those moments.

If you're looking for a good urban fantasy type book, I would definitely check out TOUCH THE DARK. Along with having a good story, Ms. Chance takes some well known nasties (vamps, weres, etc.) and puts a new spin on them.

Fighting Bullying - Jen McKen

2011-08-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Book related? Maybe, maybe not.

Recently there has been a lot of discussion on bullying and cyber-bullying in specific. Most of us have witnessed bullying to some degree within our lifetimes and if you haven't, some day you will. Lately, however, it seems that bullying is getting much worse and much more deadly. From causing physical harm to another person to causing that person to feel like they need to harm themselves, bullying is an epidemic that is spreading throughout our society, especially our school-aged youth.

Bullying is never okay. End of story.

ABC Family has covered this topic in Cyberbully. If you haven't seen it - I suggest that you do. Many authors have also joined together to fight bullying. If you search on Facebook, you can find a group of Young Adult Authors Against Bullying. Dear Bully, written by 70 young adult authors discusses these authors' personal experiences with bullying. Although the book isn't released until September 6th, 2011, it looks to be a pretty emotional read that hopefully will create a huge impact among young adults.

The incident that spurred me to write this post instead of putting up the review that was scheduled for today is a photographer I heard about online. Perhaps everyone has already heard about her, perhaps not.

Jen McKen is a professional photographer based out of Pennsylvania. Recently, she wrote a blog post about a disappointing experience she had on the internet. While browsing Facebook, she came across a page where the entire purpose was to humiliate and bully fellow classmates of the individual who created the page. Unfortunately, it seems that there was quite a group of individuals who jumped on the band wagon and decided to say some pretty nasty things about their classmates and in general, showed how ugly they were on the inside. These individuals were clients of Jen's who had already put down their deposits for senior portraits and wanted Jen to spend her energy and time making beautiful photographs of them.

To make a long story short, despite the possible negative impact this could have on her business, Jen took a stand, returned the deposits and told the individuals and their parents that she was sorry, but due to their actions online, she would not be taking pictures of these Seniors. How could she attempt to make someone look beautiful on the outside when she knew what kind of ugly actions sat beneath the surface?

Want to learn more? Check out her blog post. Want to leave some nice words of encouragement and show her that she's not alone in her stand against bullying? Leave a comment on her Facebook page.

What kind of experience have you had with bullying? What are some of your favorite anti-bullying books or shows? Is there someone that stands out to you as having taken a stand against bullying?

FIRELIGHT Review - Sophie Jordan

2011-08-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 323
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: September 7, 2010
Other work in series: Vanish (September 6, 2011)
Our Rating:

From Goodreads:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

My thoughts:

I am not the last person on the face of the planet to read this! Really, I'm not. I can actually guarantee that my three-year-old daughter has not read this yet. So there.

That being said - why on Earth had I not read this sooner? Sure, there were other books that were supposed to come first - other books that had priority.

Boy was I wrong.

FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan was absolutely superb. Not only was the story completely awesome, but the world and the characters were so beautifully built that I actually finished the book (and the two bonus chapters of Vanish that mine came with) and was pretty bummed out that I still have to wait for Vanish to be released.

Jacinda is a draki - an evolutionary offset of the ancient dragons that used to soar the skies. From what I can gather, the draki are smaller and possibly shaped in more of a humanoid fashion. They come in different varieties with different talents and an array of beautiful colors. Their biggest secret, however, and one that they must guard quite closely is their ability to take the form of an ordinary human being. Coming in quite useful when they need to hide from the Hunters that chase after them in the hopes of selling off their skin, blood, and anything else they can gather from the draki's strong bodies, their human forms can be quite a benefit although they may be a bit weaker while in that shape.

When Jacinda is forced to leave her Pride against her will, she finds that life as a human is not easy. While others around her adapt easily to it, Jacinda yearns to release her draki and soar on crimson wings like she was born to do. One thing keeps her from completely losing her sanity - Will. Any sort of relationship with him is completely forbidden and dangerous not only to her, but to her kind as well. Something about him, however, keeps drawing Jacinda back and the two quickly discover that there is a stronger connection between them than either had imagined.

What first hooked me on FIRELIGHT? As with most books - the cover. The model is gorgeous, the artwork is gorgeous and overall, the cover is captivating. Next, it was the premise behind the story. A girl who can change into a dragon-type being. Plus, who can resist forbidden love? Lastly, it was the way that Ms. Jordan developed her characters and turned them into people that we really cared about. Although set in a fantasy type setting, the characters felt very realistic with very realistic emotions, expectations, and struggles. These were characters that pulled you into the story, making the reader a part of their journey.

I absolutely love the work that Ms. Jordan put into Jacinda. She is officially one of my favorite female leads now. She really is one of those characters where you can't help but sit on the edge of your seat, flipping pages like a madwoman (or madman) as you desperately read along to find out what happens next.

A+ Ms. Jordan! FIRELIGHT is a fantastic read and one that definitely can't be missed! Now, off to wait mostly impatiently for the release of Vanish and the exciting story that promises to unfold there.

PARADISE 21 Review and Giveaway - Aubrie Dionne

2011-08-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

PARADISE 21 by Aubrie Dionne
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
My Recommended Age Group: Adult
Released: August 2011
Blog Tour: Kismet Book Touring
Our Rating:

From Goodreads:

Aries has lived her entire life aboard mankind’s last hope, the New Dawn, a spaceship traveling toward a planet where humanity can begin anew—a planet that won’t be reached in Aries’ lifetime. As one of the last genetically desirable women in the universe, she must marry her designated genetic match and produce the next generation for this centuries-long voyage.But Aries has other plans.

When her desperate escape from the New Dawn strands her on a desert planet, Aries discovers the rumors about pirates—humans who escaped Earth before its demise—are true. Handsome, genetically imperfect Striker possesses the freedom Aries envies, and the two connect on a level she never thought possible. But pursued by her match from above and hunted by the planet’s native inhabitants, Aries quickly learns her freedom will come at a hefty price.

My thoughts:

I've heard variations of this story before, but never with the fantastic elements of romance and suspense that Ms. Dionne throws into her writing. A dying race must do anything it can to survive. For Aries, one of the last human women who should keep the human race going, her duty is to pair up with the compatible match assigned to her and have children. Without these children, the New Dawn, a spaceship taking the last of Earth's hopes to a new planet, will eventually become unmanned and another piece of space junk as its current crew all die of old age. We all know the complexities of the human race, however. Attempt to tell a human woman whom she should love and all heck will break loose.

Escaping the New Dawn, Aries finds herself on a world that may hold just as many dangers as the life she is attempting to leave did, save for one aspect; Striker - a man who is not genetically desirable and definitely not one that should continue the human race. Yet, Aries finds herself drawn to him and eventually learns that she must do anything she can to keep him by her side.

Ms. Dionne's story was one full of love and passion. One of my favorite aspects of PARADISE 21 was Aries. I found her to be a fun character to read, full of emotion and well rounded so that she always made the story interesting. Her relationship with Striker is one of those that keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense, waiting to see if the two will eventually find happiness together or if a darker fate awaits them. In a cold world where the logical choice should take precedence, can romance and love win? You'll have to read to find out!

*****

Guest Post with Aubrie Dionne

Where I got the idea for Paradise 21

What will happen when our sun dies out?

I’ve always been a worry wart, and ever since I was little I’ve had a strange concern at the back of my mind for those people born on Earth when our sun starts to die out. I know it’s millions of years from now, but basically, if humans are still alive, it would suck. They’d hear about all the thousands of years people had to enjoy life, and they’d be stuck with the short end of the stick. I’d like to think that humans will live on when Earth dies, and that was where the idea for Paradise 21 came from.

In Paradise 21, humans have ruined the Earth long before the sun will burn out. They haven’t perfected cryogenic sleep, so the only way to reach another life sustaining planet is to live on the colony ships, producing generations of astronauts in deep space. Not only would they have to share the same vision as the founders of the mission, but they’d have to watch out for inbreeding because only so many bloodlines can fit on each ship.

What if someone became disillusioned with the process? What if they didn’t like their computer designated mate?

That’s where I got Aries. And that’s where Paradise 21 begins…

My question to you is: have you ever thought about the sun burning out and what would happen to life on Earth?

About Aubrie Dionne

Aubrie is an author and flutist in New England. Her stories have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, A Fly in Amber, and several print anthologies including Skulls and Crossbones by Minddancer Press, Rise of the Necromancers, by Pill Hill Press, Nightbird Singing in the Dead of Night by Nightbird Publishing, Dragontales and Mertales by Wyvern Publications, A Yuletide Wish by Nightwolf Publications, and Aurora Rising by Aurora Wolf Publications. Her epic fantasy is published with Wyvern Publications, and several of her ebooks are published with Lyrical Press and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. When she’s not writing, she plays in orchestras and teaches flute at Plymouth State University and a community music school.

Aubrie: On her Website // On her Blog

*****

Giveaway Details

Don't forget to enter to win a copy of Ms. Dionne's eBook, Chameleon's Colors (the first in the Carnival of Illusions series) and a signed postcard. To enter, simply fill out the form below. If you would like to be entered in the grand giveaway to win one of three beautiful necklaces made by the fabulous Ms. Dionne, leave a comment on this post. Each tour post that you comment on earns you another entry into this necklace giveaway.

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Continue on to the next stops in the tour!

Monday August, 8th – Cinnamon, A Journey of Books / Guest Post, Where Aubrie got the idea for Paradise 21

Tuesday, August, 9th – Tishia, Paranormal Opinion / Guest Post, Paradise 21: Space Pirates with a Chip on Their Shoulder

Wednesday, August, 10th – Jules, The Great, The Good and The Bad / Guest Post, Sci fi terminology in Paradise 21

Thursday, August, 11th- Bree, The Magic Attic / Character Interview, Striker

Friday, August, 12th – We Fancy Books / Guest Post, The baddies in Paradise 21

Monday August, 15th – Kristin, My Bookish Ways / Author Interview

Tuesday, August, 16th - Cindy, Oodles of Books / Guest Post, Luggage in Space

Wednesday, August, 17th- Rie, Mission To Read / Guest Post, Creating your own world: Positives and Negatives

Thursday, August, 18th – Grace, Books Like Breathing / Character Interview, Aries

Friday, August, 19th – Ambur, Burning.x.Impossibly.x.Bright / Guest Post, Character Building: Challenges and Rewards

Monday August, 22th – Nikki, Ramblings From A Chaotic Mind / Guest Post, The challenges and advantages to writing Sci Fi romance

Tuesday, August, 23th – Christie, The Fiction Enthusiast / Guest Post, Paradise 21: the twenty first planet capable of sustaining life

Wednesday, August, 24th – Pushy, Bewitched Bookworms / Author Interview

Thursday, August, 25th – Farrah, The Book Faery Reviews / Guest Post, What Makes Space Opera So Awesome?

Friday, August, 26th- Mandy, The Well-Read Wife / Guest Post, Pirate names: learn the crew of the Morphic Marauder

BlogFest 2011 - Ready, Set, Go!

2011-07-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time! Now through July 17th at 11:59pm EST we will be participating in BlogFest 2011!

I know you've heard about it! I know you're anxious! I know you're overflowing with excitement!

What is BlogFest?

BlogFest is a massive carnival of giveaways with a great collection of participating blogs. Each blog has a giveaway and the idea is to hop from blog to blog, entering all the giveaways your little heart desires. Hopefully you might even come across a few blogs you might want to bookmark and continue visiting.

How do I enter to win?

Each blog has their own giveaway and their own rules. The giveaways will start at midnight EST on the morning of July 15th and run through 11:59pm on the night of the 17th. That's a whole 72 hours that you get to visit as many blogs as you want and enter their amazing giveaways.

What is this Tracking Site?

This is a site designed by me and developed by my live-in IT guru at http://blogfest.ajourneyofbooks.com. You simply need to register with a valid email (more about why it needs to be valid in a moment) and then start tracking your progress. You can click through to blogs from this site and once you've visited a site, you can come back and check off that you've visited the blog. Want to compete with your friends? When you register, click the option to make your list public and everyone will get to see how many blogs your display name has visited.

I heard something about a Grand Giveaway?

That's right! This is for anyone using the Tracking Site. For every blog you visit and mark off, this will give you one entry into the Grand Giveaway.

The winner of the Grand Giveaway will be notified via the email they used to register for the Tracking Site (see, that's why it needs to be valid). After BlogFest, every email in that database will be promptly deleted. I despise spam so be assured you won't be receiving any from me!

Okay, I'm ready! Let's do this!

The link to the Tracking Site is all over and the complete list of blogs is at the bottom of this post.

BLOGGERS: If you need further instructions, they are at the bottom of this page.

We are giving away one YA, Fantasy (your interpretation), or Romance book of your choice in addition to a signed copy of any one of Richelle Mead's books. In addition, for every additional 300 followers we receive, I will add another book to the stack. There are 1467 followers at posting time.

Open to residents of the U.S., Canada or International entrants as long as The Book Depository ships there.

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Now for the list! The following are blogs participating in BlogFest 2011. Each should have an amazing giveaway in store for you.

1099 Mom
A Book and a Latte
A Journey of Books
A Life Bound By Books
A Naughty Romance Reader At Play
A Thousand Books with Quotes
A Thousand Wrongs
Among the Muses
Ashley's Bookshelf
Ashlynn's Blog
AsianCocoa's Secret Garden
Authors By Authors
Baba's Farm Life
Becks Book Picks
Being Tazim
Believing is Seeing
Bewitched Bookworms
Bibliophiliac
Bitten by Paranormal Romance
Book Dads
Book of Secrets
Book Twirps
BookHounds
BookHounds YA
Books R US
Booksnob
Bookvisions
Braintasia Books
Budget Savvy Diva
Cate Masters
Chasing Dreams
Chick Loves Lit
Christmas TV History
CLEVERLY INKED
CMash Loves To Read
Coffee & Romance, a book blog
Colloquium
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Curling Up By The Fire
Cuzinlogic
Dasef's Book Central
Delaney Diamond - Sweet & Sensual Romance
Desperado Penguin
Diva's Bookcase
Dollycas's Thoughts
Dr. Stravagante's Traveling Book Circus
Dream For Your Life
Edgy Inspirational Romance
Em Woods - Gay Erotic Romance Author
Escape Velocity
Fade Into Fantasy
Family Volley
Fangs, Wands and Fairydust
Fang-tastic Books
Farmgirl Writes
Fiction Flurry
For What It's Worth
Free & Frugal Mommy of One
Frequent Reader, Infrequent Blogger (INT)
From the Shadows
From the TBR Pile
Girls Just Reading
Good choice reading
Hannah Downing
Happy Mom Of 5
Harris Channing, Author of Erotic and Mainstream Romance
Hesperia Loves Books
Hypnotically Entraced
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!
IB Book Blogging
icefairy's Treasure Chest
I'd So Rather Be Reading
I'm Loving Books
Immortality And Beyond
Indie Snippets
Insane Hussein Reviews
Intense Whisper
It's a Romance Thing . . . Ryssa Edwards
J. F. Jenkins Writes
J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
Jennifer DeLucy's Blog
jennifer k jovus
Jennifer Wells, Paranormal Romance Author
Jessica E. Subject, Author
Jill Foltz
JoAnne Kenrick
Just Another Story
Karissa's Reading Review
Kay Dee Royal Paranormal & Erotica Romance Musings
Kay Springsteen: The Romance of Your Life
Keenly Kristin
Kelly's Lucky You
Keta's Keep Romance Blog
KMN Books Blogspot
Kritters Ramblings
Lady Lit Reviews
Lale on Lit
Laura Kaye
Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews
Lee's Musings
Let's Win!
Letters Inside Out
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of a Blogfest 2011
Lille Punkin' Reviews
Lisa M Potts
Lisa Sanchez Romance Author
Lisa's Loves(Books of Course)
Live To Read ~Krystal
Lori's Reading Corner
Love To Read For Fun
Madame Perry's Salon
Makobi Scribe
Malevolent Musing
Manga Maniac Cafe
Meg Mims, Author
Memoirs Of A Misanthrope
Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks
Michelle's Book Blog
Middle of the Road Reviews
Minding Spot
Missie
Mom vs. the Boys
my disorganized ramblings
My Love Affair With Books
My Reader's Block
My Shelf Confessions
Mysteries and Histories
News and Reviews from the Heart of the Dragons Den
noodleBubble niceBlog
Notorious Spinks Talks Books
Novels On The Run
Oh My Books!
Once Upon A Chapter
One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
One Hot Mess with Laura Harner
Paranormal Wastelands
Patricia Leever
Practical Frugality
Preternatural Primer
Reader Girls
Reading Angel
Recovering Potter Addict
Red Hot Books
Refracted Light Reviews
Rikki's Teleidoscope
Riverina Romantics (INT)
Romantic Love Books
Roof Beam Reader
Roxanne's Realm
Ruby's Reads
Sassy Mama in LA
Seductive Musings
Seven of Magpies
Shameless Romance Reviews
Si, se puede
Simply Stacie
Snarkymamma
Socrates Book Review Blog
Spartan Heart by Author Kristine Cheney
starmetal oak book blog
Still Blonde after all these YEARS!
Supernatural Snark
Sweeping Me
Talking with Tundra
Tall Tales from a Small Town
Taming the Bookshelf
Teens Read and Write
The Book Garden
The Book Nympho
The Book Pushers
The Cozy Reader
The Decadent Side of Sin
The Enchanted Book
The Fictionators
The Smiling Pains of Novelist Destiny Booze
The Tales of Dexter, Nora, and Chloe
The Wannabe Knight
The Write Path
Thoroughly Smitten
Tiffany's Bookshelf
To Read or Not To Read
True Media Solutions
True Media Solutions LLC
Urban Girl Reader
Valerie Mann ~ Where Sweet and Erotic Meet
vvb32 reads
Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to Make Your Heart Race
What Book is That?
What's On the Bookshelf
Writing is a Blessing
Must Read Faster
For Those About to Read...
Once Upon a Twilight!
Livre De Amour-Books of Love Blog
Margaret West
At Home With Books
Aubut Family
Under the Covers
Whilrwind of Surprises
Obsession with Books
Must Read Faster
Therese Gilardi: Beneath The Sunglasses
Hope. Dreams. Life... love
The Wormhole
Kim Bowman Author
Got Romance Reviews Muse
Felicia Rogers
Carol Oates

Participant Instructions:

Now, the plan for BlogFest is for each blog to host a number of links to keep the hop going. Simply find your blog (ctrl-F or go to Edit-Find and type in your blog name to find yourself in the list) and copy the next five links AFTER yours into the bottom of your BlogFest post. This should keep the hop going. Blogs at the end of the list - copy the links below you and then move to the top of the list to complete your five.

In addition to the five (5) links you should be copying, please also link to http://www.ajourneyofbooks.com. This will hold the master list for BlogFest 2011. In addition, you can also link to the BlogFest 2011 tracking site to give your readers extra chances to win fun prizes. Each blog that they track as having visited earns them another entry into a special giveaway - http://blogfest.ajourneyofbooks.com.

Remember, at a minimum you should include six (6) links in your post, the five blogs after you in the list and http://www.ajourneyofbooks.com for the master list.

Example:

#1 posts the link to #2, 3, 4, 5, 6

#56 posts the link to #57, 58, 59, 60, 61

Last blog posts the link to #1, 2, 3, 4, 5

BlogFest 2011 Instructions for Participating Blogs

2011-07-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Remember, at a minimum you should include six (6) links in your post, the five blogs after you in the list and http://www.ajourneyofbooks.com for the master list.

Example:

#1 posts the link to #2, 3, 4, 5, 6

#56 posts the link to #57, 58, 59, 60, 61

Last blog posts the link to #1, 2, 3, 4, 5

1099 Mom
A Book and a Latte
A Journey of Books
A Life Bound By Books
A Naughty Romance Reader At Play
A Thousand Books with Quotes
A Thousand Wrongs
Among the Muses
Ashley's Bookshelf
Ashlynn's Blog
AsianCocoa's Secret Garden
Authors By Authors
Baba's Farm Life
Becks Book Picks
Being Tazim
Believing is Seeing
Bewitched Bookworms
Bibliophiliac
Bitten by Paranormal Romance
Book Dads
Book of Secrets
Book Twirps
BookHounds
BookHounds YA
Books R US
Booksnob
Bookvisions
Braintasia Books
Budget Savvy Diva
Cate Masters
Chasing Dreams
Chick Loves Lit
Christmas TV History
CLEVERLY INKED
CMash Loves To Read
Coffee & Romance, a book blog
Colloquium
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Curling Up By The Fire
Cuzinlogic
Dasef's Book Central
Delaney Diamond - Sweet & Sensual Romance
Desperado Penguin
Diva's Bookcase
Dollycas's Thoughts
Dr. Stravagante's Traveling Book Circus
Dream For Your Life
Edgy Inspirational Romance
Em Woods - Gay Erotic Romance Author
Escape Velocity
Fade Into Fantasy
Family Volley
Fangs, Wands and Fairydust
Fang-tastic Books
Farmgirl Writes
Fiction Flurry
For What It's Worth
Free & Frugal Mommy of One
Frequent Reader, Infrequent Blogger (INT)
From the Shadows
From the TBR Pile
Girls Just Reading
Good choice reading
Hannah Downing
Happy Mom Of 5
Harris Channing, Author of Erotic and Mainstream Romance
Hesperia Loves Books
Hypnotically Entraced
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!
IB Book Blogging
icefairy's Treasure Chest
I'd So Rather Be Reading
I'm Loving Books
Immortality And Beyond
Indie Snippets
Insane Hussein Reviews
Intense Whisper
It's a Romance Thing . . . Ryssa Edwards
J. F. Jenkins Writes
J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
Jennifer DeLucy's Blog
jennifer k jovus
Jennifer Wells, Paranormal Romance Author
Jessica E. Subject, Author
Jill Foltz
JoAnne Kenrick
Just Another Story
Karissa's Reading Review
Kay Dee Royal Paranormal & Erotica Romance Musings
Kay Springsteen: The Romance of Your Life
Keenly Kristin
Kelly's Lucky You
Keta's Keep Romance Blog
KMN Books Blogspot
Kritters Ramblings
Lady Lit Reviews
Lale on Lit
Laura Kaye
Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews
Lee's Musings
Let's Win!
Letters Inside Out
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of a Blogfest 2011
Lille Punkin' Reviews
Lisa M Potts
Lisa Sanchez Romance Author
Lisa's Loves(Books of Course)
Live To Read ~Krystal
Lori's Reading Corner
Love To Read For Fun
Madame Perry's Salon
Makobi Scribe
Malevolent Musing
Manga Maniac Cafe
Meg Mims, Author
Memoirs Of A Misanthrope
Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks
Michelle's Book Blog
Middle of the Road Reviews
Minding Spot
Missie
Mom vs. the Boys
my disorganized ramblings
My Love Affair With Books
My Reader's Block
My Shelf Confessions
Mysteries and Histories
News and Reviews from the Heart of the Dragons Den
noodleBubble niceBlog
Notorious Spinks Talks Books
Novels On The Run
Oh My Books!
Once Upon A Chapter
One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
One Hot Mess with Laura Harner
Paranormal Wastelands
Patricia Leever
Practical Frugality
Preternatural Primer
Reader Girls
Reading Angel
Recovering Potter Addict
Red Hot Books
Refracted Light Reviews
Rikki's Teleidoscope
Riverina Romantics (INT)
Romantic Love Books
Roof Beam Reader
Roxanne's Realm
Ruby's Reads
Sassy Mama in LA
Seductive Musings
Seven of Magpies
Shameless Romance Reviews
Si, se puede
Simply Stacie
Snarkymamma
Socrates Book Review Blog
Spartan Heart by Author Kristine Cheney
starmetal oak book blog
Still Blonde after all these YEARS!
Supernatural Snark
Sweeping Me
Talking with Tundra
Tall Tales from a Small Town
Taming the Bookshelf
Teens Read and Write
The Book Garden
The Book Nympho
The Book Pushers
The Cozy Reader
The Decadent Side of Sin
The Enchanted Book
The Fictionators
The Smiling Pains of Novelist Destiny Booze
The Tales of Dexter, Nora, and Chloe
The Wannabe Knight
The Write Path
Thoroughly Smitten
Tiffany's Bookshelf
To Read or Not To Read
True Media Solutions
True Media Solutions LLC
Urban Girl Reader
Valerie Mann ~ Where Sweet and Erotic Meet
vvb32 reads
Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to Make Your Heart Race
What Book is That?
What's On the Bookshelf
Writing is a Blessing
Must Read Faster
For Those About to Read...
Once Upon a Twilight!
Livre De Amour-Books of Love Blog
Margaret West
At Home With Books
Aubut Family
Under the Covers
Whilrwind of Surprises
Obsession with Books
Must Read Faster
Therese Gilardi: Beneath The Sunglasses
Hope. Dreams. Life... love
The Wormhole
Kim Bowman Author
Got Romance Reviews Muse

BlogFest 2011 - Verified Participants

2011-07-14T08:42:00.001-07:00

The following blogs are currently signed up for BlogFest 2011 (July 15-17, 2011). If you signed up and don't see yourself on this list, please send an email to blogfest2011@gmail.com before 12 EST tonight, July 14th. Make sure to check your spam folders.

1099 Mom
A Book and a Latte
A Journey of Books
A Life Bound By Books
A Naughty Romance Reader At Play
A Thousand Books with Quotes
A Thousand Wrongs
Among the Muses
Ashley's Bookshelf
Ashlynn's Blog
AsianCocoa's Secret Garden
Authors By Authors
Baba's Farm Life
Becks Book Picks
Being Tazim
Believing is Seeing
Bewitched Bookworms
Bibliophiliac
Bitten by Paranormal Romance
Book Dads
Book of Secrets
Book Twirps
BookHounds
BookHounds YA
Books R US
Booksnob
Bookvisions
Braintasia Books
Budget Savvy Diva
Cate Masters
Chasing Dreams
Chick Loves Lit
Christmas TV History
CLEVERLY INKED
CMash Loves To Read
Coffee & Romance, a book blog
Colloquium
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Curling Up By The Fire
Cuzinlogic
Dasef's Book Central
Delaney Diamond - Sweet & Sensual Romance
Desperado Penguin
Diva's Bookcase
Dollycas's Thoughts
Dr. Stravagante's Traveling Book Circus
Dream For Your Life
Edgy Inspirational Romance
Em Woods - Gay Erotic Romance Author
Escape Velocity
Fade Into Fantasy
Family Volley
Fangs, Wands and Fairydust
Fang-tastic Books
Farmgirl Writes
Fiction Flurry
For What It's Worth
Free & Frugal Mommy of One
Frequent Reader, Infrequent Blogger (INT)
From the Shadows
From the TBR Pile
Girls Just Reading
Good choice reading
Hannah Downing
Happy Mom Of 5
Harris Channing, Author of Erotic and Mainstream Romance
Hesperia Loves Books
Hypnotically Entraced
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!
IB Book Blogging
icefairy's Treasure Chest
I'd So Rather Be Reading
I'm Loving Books
Immortality And Beyond
Indie Snippets
Insane Hussein Reviews
Intense Whisper
It's a Romance Thing . . . Ryssa Edwards
J. F. Jenkins Writes
J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
Jennifer DeLucy's Blog
jennifer k jovus
Jennifer Wells, Paranormal Romance Author
Jessica E. Subject, Author
Jill Foltz
JoAnne Kenrick
Just Another Story
Karissa's Reading Review
Kay Dee Royal Paranormal & Erotica Romance Musings
Kay Springsteen: The Romance of Your Life
Keenly Kristin
Kelly's Lucky You
Keta's Keep Romance Blog
KMN Books Blogspot
Kritters Ramblings
Lady Lit Reviews
Lale on Lit
Laura Kaye
Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews
Lee's Musings
Let's Win!
Letters Inside Out
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of a Blogfest 2011
Lille Punkin' Reviews
Lisa M Potts
Lisa Sanchez Romance Author
Lisa's Loves(Books of Course)
Live To Read ~Krystal
Lori's Reading Corner
Love To Read For Fun
Madame Perry's Salon
Makobi Scribe
Malevolent Musing
Manga Maniac Cafe
Meg Mims, Author
Memoirs Of A Misanthrope
Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks
Michelle's Book Blog
Middle of the Road Reviews
Minding Spot
Missie
Mom vs. the Boys
my disorganized ramblings
My Love Affair With Books
My Reader's Block
My Shelf Confessions
Mysteries and Histories
News and Reviews from the Heart of the Dragons Den
noodleBubble niceBlog
Notorious Spinks Talks Books
Novels On The Run
Oh My Books!
Once Upon A Chapter
One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
One Hot Mess with Laura Harner
Paranormal Wastelands
Patricia Leever
Practical Frugality
Preternatural Primer
Reader Girls
Reading Angel
Recovering Potter Addict
Red Hot Books
Refracted Light Reviews
Rikki's Teleidoscope
Riverina Romantics (INT)
Romantic Love Books
Roof Beam Reader
Roxanne's Realm
Ruby's Reads
Sassy Mama in LA
Seductive Musings
Seven of Magpies
Shameless Romance Reviews
Si, se puede
Simply Stacie
Snarkymamma
Socrates Book Review Blog
Spartan Heart by Author Kristine Cheney
starmetal oak book blog
Still Blonde after all these YEARS!
Supernatural Snark
Sweeping Me
Talking with Tundra
Tall Tales from a Small Town
Taming the Bookshelf
Teens Read and Write
The Book Garden
The Book Nympho
The Book Pushers
The Cozy Reader
The Decadent Side of Sin
The Enchanted Book
The Fictionators
The Smiling Pains of Novelist Destiny Booze
The Tales of Dexter, Nora, and Chloe
The Wannabe Knight
The Write Path
Thoroughly Smitten
Tiffany's Bookshelf
To Read or Not To Read
True Media Solutions
True Media Solutions LLC
Urban Girl Reader
Valerie Mann ~ Where Sweet and Erotic Meet
vvb32 reads
Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to Make Your Heart Race
What Book is That?
What's On the Bookshelf
Writing is a Blessing
Must Read Faster
For Those About to Read...
Once Upon a Twilight!
Livre De Amour-Books of Love Blog
Margaret West
At Home With Books
Aubut Family
Under the Covers
Whilrwind of Surprises
Obsession with Books
Must Read Faster
Therese Gilardi: Beneath The Sunglasses
Hope. Dreams. Life... love
The Wormhole
Kim Bowman Author
Got Romance Reviews Muse

What is it?
BlogFest is a blog run of sorts. A list of participating blogs will be provided on July 15, each offering a fantastic giveaway for readers to enter. Each blog will link to another, pulling readers through the fantastic party we'll have set up for them!

Rules:
The rules are quite simple.Each blog must host a giveaway between 12:00 am EST on the 15th through 11:59 pm EST on the 17th. There are no stipulations as to the monetary value of this giveaway.

Each blog must post the links provided to them on the days of the event.

Your BlogFest post can remain as a single post over the multiple days, but make sure there is an easily visible link to it from the top of your blog. If people can't find your giveaway, they certainly can't enter it.

Giveaway rules are up to you.

We will have a webpage and database for visitors to use to help track their blog visits. While it is not mandatory that you direct your visitors there, it is a tool available to you.

Sourcebooks Men in Kilts eDeals

2011-07-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sourcebooks has another great set of eBook deals! These books can be purchased for $.99 at most online retailers (Amazon, Borders, etc.) The correct prices should start July 12th!

Men in Kilts – eBooks for $0.99! (7/12/2011 – 7/18/2011)

Awaken the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney

A man from another time…

Faelan is from an ancient clan of Scottish Highland warriors, charged with shielding humanity from demonic forces. Betrayed and locked in a time vault, he has been sleeping for nearly two centuries when spunky historian Bree Kirkland inadvertently wakes him. She’s more fearsome than the demon trying to kill him, and if he’s not careful, she’ll uncover the secrets his clan has bled and died to protect…

Could be the treasure she’s been seeking all her life…

When Bree inherits an old treasure map, she discovers a warrior buried in her backyard. But the warrior isn’t dead. Bree shocks Faelan with her modern dress and her boldness, and he infuriates Bree every time he tries to protect her.

With demons suddenly on the move, Bree discovers that Faelan’s duty as protector is in his blood, and that her part in this fight was destined before she was born. But nothing is ever what it seems…

Highland Hellcat by Mary Wine

He wants a wife he can control…

Connor Lindsey is a Highland laird, but his clan’s loyalty is hard won and he takes nothing for granted. He’ll do whatever it takes to find a virtuous wife, even if he has to kidnap her…

She has a spirit that can’t be tamed…

Brina Chattan has always defied convention. She sees no reason to be docile now that she’s been captured by a powerful laird and taken to his storm-tossed castle in the Highlands, far from her home.

When a rival laird’s interference nearly tears them apart, Connor discovers that a woman with a wild streak suits him much better than he’d ever imagined…

The Highlander’s Sword by Amanda Forester

A quiet, flame-haired beauty with secrets of her own…

Lady Aila Graham is destined for the convent, until her brother’s death leaves her an heiress. Soon she is caught between hastily arranged marriage with a Highland warrior, the Abbot’s insistence that she take her vows, the Scottish Laird who kidnaps her, and the traitor from within who betrays them all.

She’s nothing he expected and everything he really needs…

Padyn MacLaren, a battled-hardened knight, returns home to the Highlands after years of fighting the English in France. MacLaren bears the physical scars of battle, but it is the deeper wounds of betrayal that have rocked his faith. Arriving with only a band of war-weary knights, MacLaren finds his land pillaged and his clan scattered. Determined to restore his clan, he sees Aila’s fortune as the answer to his problems…but maybe it’s the woman herself.

Wild Highland Magic by Kendra Leigh Castle

She's a Scottish Highlands werewolf, but no one's ever shown her how to use her powers…

Growing up in America with a father who hates his own nature, Catrionna MacInnes has always tried desperately to control her powers and pretend to be normal. Now her father has brought her and her sisters to Scotland to reunite with the pack they fled years ago…

He's a wizard prince with a devastating secret…

Bastian an Morgaine has found sanctuary among the MacInnes werewolf clan but no relief from the soul-searing curse that haunts him. The minute Cat lays eyes on Bastian, she knows she's met her destiny. In their first encounter, she unwittingly binds him to her for life, and now they're both targets for the evil enemies that are out to destroy their very souls…

Highland Rebel by Judith James

Amidst the upheaval of Cromwell's Britain, Jamie Sinclair's wit and military prowess have served him well. Leading a troop in Scotland, he impetuously marries a captured maiden, saving her from a grim fate.

A Highlands heiress to title and fortune, Catherine Drummond is not the woman Jamie believes her to be. When her people effect her rescue, and he cannot annul the marriage, Jamie goes to recapture his hellcat of a new wife...

In a world where family and creed cannot be trusted, where faith fuels intolerance and war, Catherine and Jamie test the bounds of loyalty, friendship, and trust...

BlogFest 2011 Badges

2011-07-07T11:18:00.001-07:00

Below are the codes and badges for BlogFest 2011! Less than a week left to sign up!

*****
Thanks to Cate Masters for the one below.

*****
Thanks to Yara for the following three!

*****

*****

*****

Thanks to Dani of Refracted Light Reviews

Chloe King Update

2011-07-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

Will The Uniter ever be safe?

Have you been watching The Nine Lives of Chloe King? It's getting pretty intense, isn't it? If you haven't been watching, be sure to tune in to ABC Family at 9/8 c on Tuesdays.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King is based on the Young Adult book series of the same name. Catch up on some of our earlier Chloe King posts.

MY SOUL TO KEEP Review - Rachel Vincent

2011-06-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

MY SOUL TO KEEP by Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: June 1, 2010
Other work in series: My Soul to Take, My Soul to Save
Our Rating:

From Goodreads: (edited for spoilers)

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how?

My thoughts:

I was in a mood to finish a few books this past week that I hadn't been able to before. Top on the list - MY SOUL TO KEEP by Rachel Vincent.

Fans of Vincent's Soul Screamers series, already know that this series is packed with emotion, drama, and action. Kaylee starts out the series by discovering that she is not exactly human. She is a bean-sidhe and has an amazing gift that forces her to wail (think blood-curdling scream) anytime someone is about to die or has just died. While trying to come to terms with this new reality, everything she knows and trusts is suddenly thrown up in the air in a haze of confusion. Book three in the series, MY SOUL TO KEEP continues in this fashion.

While Kaylee is now starting to understand more about her true nature and her gifts, something dangerous is happening around her. Friends are starting to act strange and again, everything that she knows is threatening to topple over. Will she be able to save herself and those she loves or will she end up losing someone in the process?

For me, MY SOUL TO KEEP was a huge turning point for Kaylee. Within this story we get to see not only how much spunk Kaylee has, but also exactly where her limits are. Just like the rest of us, Kaylee can get hurt - both emotionally and physically. Definitely the most emotional of the series so far, there were many points in the book where my heart just started breaking for Kaylee. Sometimes you just want to scream, "Leave the poor girl alone already!" There wouldn't be much of a story if that happened, though. While Kaylee battles her way through MY SOUL TO KEEP, we are left watching helplessly. Ms. Vincent does an amazing job of channeling Kaylee's pain, anger, and sadness through to the reader so that just as Kaylee feels like she's falling apart, so do we.

The best part about MY SOUL TO KEEP, and Ms. Vincent's Soul Screamers series so far, is how easy her characters are to relate to. Although most of us don't see ghostly shapes and experience supernatural occurrences on a daily basis, we are still able to be drawn into the story and experience it with the characters. Each character is molded well so that the reader can easily imagine his or herself in the character's shoes and as we adventure with these characters, Ms. Vincent kicks up the action and adventure, leaving us breathless and begging for more.

My favorite of the series so far, MY SOUL TO KEEP is a definite must read. I recommend it for any fans of Young Adult Paranormal.

Firelight and Vanish - Sophie Jordan

2011-06-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Really, is there much else to say? *Drool*

Firelight was released September 7, 2010 and Vanish is set to release September 6, 2011.

Firelight (from www.sophiejordan.net)

A HIDDEN TRUTH

MORTAL ENEMIES

DOOMED LOVE

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet of her kind, she nearly pays with her life, only to be spared by a beautiful stranger sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki--a descendant of dragons whose ability to shift into human form is her best defense.

Forced to flee into the mortal world, Jacinda struggles to adapt. The one bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irrestibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away - if it dies she will be left a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and irresistible passion ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide ...

2009 Debutante Anthology

2011-06-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

2009 was a great year for books and it looks like the 2009 Debutantes have another something special up their sleeves!

What do you think? Looks great, doesn't it! From what I understand, this is set to release in eBook format around October 2011. Check out the 2009 Debutantes blog for more information

Authors included: Cyn Balog, Lauren Bjorkman, Leigh Brescia, Jennifer Brown, Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Janet Gurtler, Teri Hall, Cheryl Renee Herbsman, Stacey Jay, Heidi R. Kling, C. Lee McKenzie, Saundra Mitchell, Jenny Moss, Jackson Pearce, Shani Petroff, Carrie Ryan, Sydney Salter, Kurtis Scaletta, Jon Skovron, Kristina Springer, Rhonda Stapleton, Charity Tahmaseb, Jessica Verday, J.A. Yang, and Lara Zielin.

ULTRAVIOLET Review - R.J. Anderson

2011-06-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

ULTRAVIOLET by R.J. Anderson
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: June 2011 (UK), September 2011 (U.S.)
Other work: Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter, Wayfarer (Faery Rebels), Arrow. R.J. Anderson (Knife)
Our Rating:

From Goodreads:

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

My thoughts:

Many of the books I come across have been highly recommended and promise to be great. Occasionally, however, I come across a book that, for whatever reason, I really haven't heard too much about. Typically it's the cover that attracts me to these books; sometimes it's the blurb. In the case of ULTRAVIOLET by R.J. Anderson, I honestly can't tell you what made me decide to give it a try. I hadn't seen the cover or read the blurb - there was just something that drew me to the story.

Wow - what a story.

Based upon a natural phenomenon, ULTRAVIOLET follows Alison, a girl whose senses are extraordinary. Where most people may hear a noise or feel a sensation, all of Alison's senses seemed to be tied together. Words have colors and tastes, names carry emotion and feeling with them. Her world is one of color and light which may sound great at first, but even on the most dreary day, too much color and light holds the potential to drive anyone crazy...

When schoolmate Tori winds up missing, Alison is thrown into a mental institution. It's only later that she recalls admitting to murdering Tori and subsequently going crazy. But in Alison's world - nothing is as it seems. Where is the line between reality and not?

The one thing that I absolutely adored about ULTRAVIOLET was the intensity of it. From Alison's mental episodes, to her internal struggles, and out to the troubles of those she encounters, Anderson keeps us hooked from the first page through to the last. Throughout the story, there really is no slow moment stuck in to beef the book up. Instead, every sentence draws more of our emotions and pulls us further into the book. Suspenseful? Yes. Slightly dark? Yeah, probably. Full of action, mystery, and great characters that make you want to read the book in one sitting? Definitely.

As Alison progresses through the story and learns, so does the reader. It would have been easy for Anderson to explain to us what was going on with Alison up front and then let us watch her live it, but where would the fun it that be? Instead, we find that in the beginning of the book we are just as clueless as Alison. Her struggles become ours and we fight alongside her through to her triumphs.

Fans of fiction that tip-toe the line between reality and fantasy will love ULTRAVIOLET. This was a different story than the one I was expecting, but it ended up being really good. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to branch out and try something a bit different.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente - Giveaway

2011-06-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Ready for the longest book title I have come across in a while?

THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING by Catherynne M. Valente.

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn?t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

What do you think? I think it looks different, colorful and potentially beautiful! Available now, this book looks like it will be a hit for kids, young adults, and adults alike.

Want to win a copy? Courtesy of the publisher, we have one copy to give away. Open to those with a U.S. or Canadian mailing address, this giveaway will end June 30th.

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Recent Contest Winners

2011-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

All winners have been notified.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making -
Ruby Red - Patricia
Everlasting - Linda

The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 8 #NinePaths

2011-06-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

The time for our journey to be over is drawing near. After completing the seventh path and risking danger yet again, I found myself waiting anxiously for the next-to-last path to find and bring forward The Uniter.

The day was bright and sunny when I noticed another package tied to my door knob. Although it was warm, and I could hear the magestic sounds of a hawk flying overhead, I was filled with a sense of dread when I saw the plastic bag. Dutifully, never knowing if it would be a piece of communication from the Mai, or a warning from The Order, I took the package inside and opened it.

Imagine my surprise when I found not one, but two packages.

The first held a letter and a charm from the Mai.

The Eighth Path is full of treacherous twists and turns. We ask that you demonstrate extreme caution every step of the way. Enclosed is the Mai Protection charm. Keep it close to protect you and your Circle during the remaining two Paths.

As foretold by the Nine Paths Prophecy, "The Eight Path reveals a great and dangerous Foe who sets many traps as he hunts his target. Only the Circle of Strangers can follow this deceptive path and uncover the threat."

It has come to our attention that there has been a breach in the Mai's security system. We sincerely apologize, but your address may have fallen into the wrong hands. Contact us immediately if any person or any organization attempts to communicate with you about The Uniter, Chloe King. The Circle is a fierce ally to The Uniter! The Mai believe you will successfully complete This Path and uncover any threat!

Great, so my address has somehow fallen into the hands of The Order. The same Order who were caught on a phone recording saying that Circle members were a threat and should be eliminated.

I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised to find a message from The Order in the second package.

Within the second package was a postcard of Coit Tower, a very important tower to Chloe King. In fact, the fact that The Order sent an image of this tower tells me that they are very close to discovering where Chloe is. On the back of the postcard, a message was written:

Is the circle still searching for dear Chloe King?
Your pathetic prophecy won't save you.
Face it, all is lost.
Batko.me

Oh great! Upon further searching, I found myself at the web address batko.me with an image of Chloe King and a young man. Is he one that can be trusted?

The time has come to prepare for the ninth path. Remember, if you have a protection charm, keep it with you Circle. If you don't, head on over to ABC Family and enter the password "Deception" to win your own.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King is set to premier tomorrow, June 14th at 8/9c on ABC Family.

Take a look at some of our other Chloe King posts if you're curious about the journey thus far or are looking for reviews of the first two books. Our review of the third and final book will be posted live tomorrow.

The Nine Paths to Chloe King
The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 1
The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 2
The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 3
The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 4
The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 5
The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 6
The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Episode 7
Learning about Bastet

The Fallen by Liz Braswell
The Stolen by Liz Braswell

Author Interview with Liz Braswell

The Nine Paths to Chloe King, Path 7 #ninepaths

2011-06-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

We're almost to the end of our journey. The day of The Uniter is almost upon us (along with the premier of The Nine Lives of Chloe King) - June 14th. While the 6th path brought us Danger, the seventh path led us to something even worse - a foe!

I received another mysterious package on my doorstep today. I opened it carefully and was disturbed to find what was inside. A business card and pen from Rezza Capital. I had heard of this name before and so I wasn't too surprised when the hairs on the back of my neck stuck up.

The back of the business card led me to the wooden box that I had received a while ago. Inside was an envelope with documentation for a set of adoptive parents. The edge of the business card matched up perfectly with the edge of the envelope...almost like they were made for one another.

The mysterious business card, pen, and envelope

When I turned the card and envelope over, I saw that a password had been written on the back. I raced to my MaiPad, the device we were given by the Mai as a means of staying in contact with them, and entered the password. What luck! Within was a video of Rezza - The Uniter's number one foe.

We now have a face to keep an eye out for!

Rezza

Unfortunately, we're going to have to stay vigilant. In the clip I was shown, Rezza seems pretty keen on destroying The Uniter - as many times as he has to.

Look at the symbol below and memorize it. If ever you should see this symbol, take caution. This is the Mai symbol for Foe and is generally someone we want to stay away from and keep away from The Uniter.

Foe

Interested in the books that started it all?

We were interviewed!

2011-06-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

James at The Book Base interviewed A Journey of Books. Check us out at http://thebookbase.com/430/book-blogger-qa-journey-of-books.

Upcoming Releases 2011

2011-06-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Below are the releases for the year that I am anxiously waiting for (or was anxiously waiting for). Of course, there is always the sly book that pops into my hands before I have a chance to put it up here so this list is not a comprehensive list of everything I love in 2011.

D = Drama
M = Mystery
P = Paranormal
F = Fantasy
YA - Young Adult

January 2011

YA - 01/04/11 ---- Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
YA - 01/04/11 ---- Hexbound by Chloe Neill
YA - 01/07/11 ---- The Demon Trappers: Forsaken by Jana Oliver
UF - 01/15/11 ---- River Marked (Mercy Thompson 6) by Patricia Briggs
YA - 01/25/11 ---- The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

February 2011

YA - 02/01/11 ---- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
YA - 02/01/11 ---- The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
YA - 02/08/11 ---- Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
YA - 02/15/11 ---- Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

March 2011

YA - 03/15/11 ---- The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Midnight by L.J. Smith
YA - 03/15/11 ---- Steel by Carrie Vaughn
YA - 03/22/11 ---- Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano

April 2011

YA - 04/05/11 ---- Teeth: Vampire Tales by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

May 2011

June 2011

YA - 06/28/11 ---- Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

July 2011

P - 07/05/11 ---- Night Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
P - 07/05/11 ---- Naked City by Many Uberawesome Urban Fantasy Authors
YA - 07/12/11 ---- Undercurrent: A Siren Novel by Tricia Rayburn
YA - 07/26/11 ---- Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
YA - 07/26/11 ---- Supernaturally by Kiersten White

August 2011

P - 08/02/11 ---- Home Improvement: Undead Edition by Many Uberawesome Urban Fantasy Authors
YA - 08/30/11 ---- Hades by Alexandra Adornetto
YA - 08/30/11 ---- Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

September 2011

P - Autumn 2011 ---- Courting Darkness by Yasmine Galenorn
YA - 09/06/11 ---- Vanish: A Firelight Novel by Sophie Jordan
YA - 09/06/11 ---- The Hidden (The Hollow, Book 3) by Jessica Verday

October 2011

YA - 10/01/11 ---- Bloody Valentine (Blue Bloods Novella) by Melissa De la Cruz
YA - 10/01/11 ---- If I Tell by Janet Gurtler
P - 10/04/11 ---- Down These Strange Streets by Many Uberawesome Urban Fantasy Authors
YA - 10/11/11 ---- Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
YA - 10/18/11 ---- Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
YA - 10/25/11 ---- The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
YA - 10/??/11 ---- The First Time by 2009 Debutantes

November 2011

YA - 11/01/11 ---- Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
YA - 11/01/11 ---- Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce
YA - 11/01/11 ---- Crossed by Ally Condie

December 2011

YA - 12/06/11 ---- Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

2012

YA - 2012 ---- Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
YA - 2012 ---- Heaven by Alexandra Adornetto

January 2012

YA - 01/10/12 ---- Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

February 2012

P - 02/01/12 ---- Fair Game (Alpha & Omega #3) by Patricia Briggs
YA - 02/12 ---- A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford

Contributors:

Special thanks to:

Book Dilettante

Celestina Carmen

Le Femme Readers

The Story Siren's Book to Pine For

Upcoming Yasmine Galenorn Releases

2011-06-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes I have been living under a rock!

How did I not know that these were set to come out soon?

I almost went crazy and inserted some squeeing and OMGs in here, but I didn't.

Yes please!

Courting Darkness by Yasmine Galenorn - Autumn 2011

Night Veil by Yasmine Galenorn - July 5, 2011

Descriptions have been left out to avoid spoilers.

Sourcebook eBook Deals for June - Christmas in Summer!

2011-06-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Any eBook fans out there? I didn't use to be, but with my new MaiPad (Nine Paths to Chloe King), I have found myself purchasing eBooks here and there when I can find them on sale.

Speaking of sales...

Sourcebooks has some amazing June sales going on. Their romance titles range from Regency, Paranormal, Young Adult, and everything in between with something to fit every taste. I personally, am ecstatic about these June deals as, like I've mentioned, I typically only buy eBooks when I can't find the print version anywhere and I need it NOW, I have a coupon or gift card, or they happen to be on sale.

JUNE eBook Deals from Sourcebooks!

New York Times Bestselling Author, Grace Burrowes has the next book in her delightful regency romance series in stores this month: The Soldier. During this exciting time: The Soldier will be $2.99 for 2 weeks (06/07/2011 – 06/20/2011) and The Heir at $0.99 for 5 weeks (05/02/2011 – 06/06/2011)—so get them both while you can!

In honor of Terry Spear’s latest, Heart of the Highland Wolf, hitting stores Seduced by the Wolf will be FREE during the first week of publication of Heart of the Highland Wolf. Terry’s werewolves act like real wolves—including mating for life!

Have you ever met a hero that can purrrrrr? Find one in The Cat Star Chronicles, the out of this world sexy series by Cheryl Brooks! Book 7, Virgin, is in stores now! To celebrate, you can download Outcast for FREE during the first week of publication of Virgin! 06/07/2011 – 06/13/2011 only.

It’s Hannah Montana meets Project Runway! Get the first book in this great middle grade series, The Allegra Biscotti Collection, for FREE this week only, and meet Allegra Biscotti, a fabulous and famous fashion designer—only no one knows because she’s actually Emma Rose, and still in junior high! If you love this book, don’t get your threads in knot—book 2, Who What Wear! Is now available.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could find out HIS side of the story? Matt Dunn, a women’s fiction author who just so happens to be a guy, tells all in The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook, which is free this week, in honor of Ex-Girlfriends United hitting stores! Did I mention he’s British?!

Christmas in June? Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley is free for one week! Love her awesome wit, hilarious scenarios and super sweet love stories? Her brand new US release, Wish You Were Here is now available!

Did you know Georgette Heyer wrote two Gothic Regency Romances? The Quiet Gentleman is dark, moody, and not what anyone expects! Still craving the frothy, effervescent tone of Heyer? Get one of her most beloved, Cotillion, for free this week!

Excited? I know I am! Now, don't mind me as I run off to go beef up my eBook library. This is like Christmas in June for me!

By the way, if you want to get notification of these sorts of deals on your own, you should become a CasaVIP and sign up for their newsletter.