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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Giveaway: The Farm by Emily McKay

Penguin / Berkley wants want of you to win a copy of The Farm by Emily McKay! If you want to be this lucky person, then you need to enter to win via the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. But first, some info about the book:

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are - holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other...

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister, Mel, have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else does - like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won't be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help...

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily's in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

Amazon | Goodreads
Vampire apocalypse! I will be reading and reviewing this soon, so check back later if you'd like to know what I thought of it.

Rules: 
  • Must be 13 years or older to enter. If under 18, must have permission of parent or guardian.
  • U.S. addresses only
  • Please see my Contest & Privacy Policy for details.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, my lovelies!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's top ten list features my most anticipated releases of 2013.

This one was difficult, y'all! There are SO MANY. And you know that I want every single one of them! In order to help narrow down my selections, I stuck to authors who I've read before and did not include any books that don't have titles yet. If you're interested in seeing my most anticipated debuts of 2013, then you can check out my 2013 Debut Author Challenge post.

Here are my most anticipated releases of 2013, in no particular order:

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare The Archived by Victoria Schwab
  1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (June 18) - A new Neil Gaiman book! OBVIOUSLY, I need this.
  2. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (May 7) - I really liked Isla in Anna and the French Kiss, even though she's hardly there at all. In fact, she made enough of an impression on me that I mentioned her in my review of Anna. Naturally, I'm super excited to read her story!
  3. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (March 19) - So Clockwork Prince is, in my opinion, Cassie's best book yet. This gives me high hopes for Clockwork Princess, and I'm dying to find out what happens!
  4. The Archived by Victoria Schwab (January 22) - I really liked Victoria Schwab's The Near Witch, and the synopsis for The Archived sounds so perfectly amazing. A supernatural library of the dead from an author I know can pull off the appropriate mood and atmosphere for such a story - how could I be anything but thrilled about the idea of this book?!
  5. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (October) - It's a YA book from Brandon Sanderson! Superhero apocalypse, people. NEED IT.
  6. The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson - Those of you who read my review of The Crown of Embers know that I'm now pretty desperate to get my hands on this. Hurry to me, The Bitter Kingdom! I neeeeed you. Also, Hector!
  7. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (January 8) - I liked Under the Never Sky quite a bit, and though I'd probably not have named it a favorite at the time of reading it, I find myself growing ever more excited about its sequel. 
  8. Dracomachia by Rachel Hartman (July 9) - Seraphina was one of my favorite books of 2012. I love the world that Hartman has created, and I can't wait to revisit it!
  9. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (June 4) - Shadow and Bone was such a fun read for me. I'm not sure that I've enjoyed a villain as much as I enjoyed The Darkling in quite some time. I'm looking forward to exploring more of his sinister behavior, and I'm excited at the prospect of getting to know Mal a little better, as well.
  10. Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund - Peterfreund did such a great job retelling Persuasion while also making it new in For Darkness Shows the Stars (It was one of my favorite retellings.) that I am really looking forward to this new book, which appears to be set in the same world and is a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, which I suppose I need to read now in order to prepare!

There are so many more books that I can't wait to put in front of my face, but these are the ten that are at the top of my list. What 2013 releases are you completely out of your mind excited about?

Friday, November 16, 2012

2013 Debut Author Challenge

I am totally going to be participating in the Debut Author Challenge over at hobbitsies.net for 2013. This will be my third time to sign up for it. I love reading books by debut authors. Every year, I find a few that are sure to become new favorites.

The goal is to read at least 12 YA debuts in 2013. I think that I can manage that pretty easily. I'd like to shoot for closer to 20 debuts, but I also want to work on getting the unread books that I already own read, so we'll see how it goes!

I'm sure that this list will get longer the more I look through catalogs and add the autumn books to it, but these are some of the debuts that I'm looking forward to (possibly) reading as part of this challenge:
  1. All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry 
  2. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
  3. Altered by Jennifer Rush
  4. Arclight by Josin L. McQuein
  5. The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan
  6. Being Henry David by Cal Armistead 
  7. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
  8. The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell 
  9. Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield 
  10. The City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster
  11. Dualed by Elsie Chapman 
  12. The End Games by T. Michael Martin 
  13. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger 
  14. Five Summers by Una LaMarche 
  15. Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans 
  16. Linked by Imogen Howson
  17. The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd 
  18. Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan
  19. MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza 
  20. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis 
  21. Pivot Point by Kasie West 
  22. Poison by Bridget Zinn 
  23. Reboot by Amy Tintera 
  24. Red by Alison Cherry 
  25. The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding 
  26. The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston 
  27. Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson 
  28. The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller 
  29. Taken by Erin Bowman 
  30. That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard 
  31. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
  32. Transparent by Natalie Whipple
  33. Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt 
  34. Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland 
  35. Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Are you participating in this or any other reading challenges for 2013? What 2013 debuts are you looking forward to?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Title: Easy
Author: Tammara Webber
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: November 6, 2012 (originally self-published in May 2012)
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Publisher
Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He always saw her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.
I didn't really know what to expect from Easy. All I knew was that it is a contemp about a girl in college, and that there is some guy, and that everyone seems to LOVE it. Romancey stuff isn't usually my thing, but you can put me down as one of those people who love this book. Also: there's a lot more than just a really adorable love story happening here.

Characters! Jacqueline is an authentic, sympathetic character who goes through a variety of experiences and emotions throughout the course of the story. She experiences some growth, as well. Lucas, though, is the one that surprised me with his depth. Everything that he says and does comes from a couple of very specific motivations. He has some baggage, but I wouldn't call him brooding. Maybe he brooded as a teen, but as a young man he takes a more proactive approach in dealing with the event from his past that haunts him. I also want to take a minute to mention Erin, Jacqueline's roommate and best friend, because SHE IS AWESOME. She's a good friend. She gets Jacqueline into some lighthearted shenanigans, but when serious issues come up Erin is on it. She is the epitome of support and is a proactive participant in helping Jacqueline, even at her (Erin's) personal expense. The economics professor is also really great. The characters have depth and there are plenty of issues and emotions for all of them to overcome or come to terms with.

The setting is written well. It could have been any college campus (and was very similar to my college campus). The plot is steady and there is enough mystery and suspense elements to keep readers hooked. (One more chapter!) Easy contains some mature content and sexytimes! In addition to the romance, there are some tough issues involved. Easy deals with subjects such as rape, grief, and trauma. It doesn't gloss over these things, but it does deal with them in a constructive way and handles serious issues (and the fears, assumptions, and unfortunate reactions that can go with them) with class.

Because of the mature content, Easy is probably best suited to mature young adults and adults. I'd definitely recommend it to those who like contemporary stories involving college settings, romance, and social as well as personal issues.



Sunday, November 4, 2012

Favorite Covers: November 2012

Here are some of my favorite covers for November 2012: The Red, Black & White Edition

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor Reached by Ally Condie Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
I love the eye makeup. I love the coloring and lighting. I love the font. The covers for this series are frakking gorgeous.
Amazon | Goodreads

Reached by Ally Condie
The thing that I love about the covers for this trilogy is that they have a progression and tell a story on their own. Girl in bubble, girl breaking free of bubble, girl stepping out of bubble. The colors tie in with the three pills from the books. They're minimalistic and symbolic.
Amazon | Goodreads

Black City by Elizabeth Richards
BOOM! Shattering flower shrapnel. I don't even know what this book is about, but it's got what is basically an exploding flower on the front, so I'm gonna at least look at it to find out.
Amazon | Goodreads


Do you also like any of these covers? Are there any books that you're tempted to buy for the cover alone? What new little works of art will you be picking up for your shelves this month? Let me know in the comments!