Author Marie Treanor Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE at Bitten By Books!

Author Marie Treanor Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE Here!

A wounded hunter’s obsession with a damaged vampire...

Six months ago, vampire hunter and inventive genius István nearly died in the seminal battle that would change the relationship between humans and vampires forever.

A year before that, he first encountered sexy vampiress, Angyalka, owner of the Angel Club, favored haunt of the undead. István won that round, but when he recklessly seeks her out again in search of the secret of angels, he's alone and so exhausted he can barely stand, let alone fight vampires. Plus Angyalka's out for revenge, and very happy to use his powerful sexual attraction to her…

But Angyalka has her own secret weaknesses - whoever heard of an agoraphobic vampire? - as well as terrifying strengths even she doesn't understand. Their battle becomes one of wits and sex, but when someone bombs the club, they fight together to contain all the threats closing in on the Angel, from humans and vampires, including the sadistic killer who could just be dangerous enough to finally topple undead overlord Saloman.

As István struggles to harness the mysterious power of angels, Angyalka needs a deeper strength to send away the fascinating hunter who delivers on all her deepest sensual desires and yet can't come to terms with her vampire nature.

About the Author:
Marie Treanor lives in Scotland with her eccentric husband and three much-too-smart children. Having grown bored with city life, she resides these days in a picturesque village by the sea where she is lucky enough to enjoy herself avoiding housework and writing sensual stories of paranormal romance and fantasy. 

Marie has published more than twenty ebooks with small presses, (Samhain Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, Changeling Press and The Wild Rose Press), including a former Kindle bestseller, Killing Joe. Blood on Silk: an Awakened by Blood novel, was her New York debut with NAL.

Author LaVerne Thompson Character Interview and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card LIVE at Bitten By Books!

Author LaVerne Thompson Character Interview and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card LIVE Here!

Author Kerry Schafer Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card LIVE at Bitten By Books!

Author Kerry Schafer Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card LIVE Here!

Youth Media Awards and the Printz goes to...

Yesterday at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting the winners and honors of the Youth Media Awards were announced. There are several awards for the top books written for children and young adults being awarded at this event and one of them is the Michael L. Printz Award that "exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature". It was first awarded in 2000 and is named after a high school librarian from Topeka that worked hard to ensure his students had access to good literature and encouraged writers to focus on young adult readers (read more about the award here). Previous winners are among others John Green, Libba Bray and Melina Marchetta. The blog Someday My Printz will Come have been speculating about the books they found likely to be considered for the award along with their readers. Take a look to see if they were right, because here comes the winner and the honors.

The Winner:
In Darkness written by Nick Lake



2013 Honor(s):

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna


Have you read any of these? I have just started listening to Code Name Verity and I know this was one of Mari's absolute favourites last year (there's a link to her review). I am definitely checking out In Darkness very soon as it sounds very good and interesting.

Giveaway INTL' - Memorable Monday 2013

Provoked by a quote, delighted by a quote or
perhaps you fell in love with a beautiful quote?
Share the quote(s) with us in your own Memorable Monday post.

You will find the giveaway details further down in this post.

So I took forever to finish Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I started last summer and was hook and then I kind of fell out of the story and I actually didn't finish the story before this January.

So as I am sure you understand I didn't, like pretty much everyone else, fall head over heels in love with the story. That being said it wasn't bad and Shadow and Bone offered some sweet and memorable quotes.

I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I'd catch myself just walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I'd seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I'd realize that you weren't there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I've risked my life for you. I've walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I'd do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don't tell me why we don't belong together," he said fiercely.

How to participate in Memorable Monday?
1. Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog. Feel free to grab my logo (download it to your computer first).
2. Come back here and leave the link to your post in our inlinkz widget.
3. It would be nice if you visited one or two of the other participants.
4. If you tweet your posts then feel free to use the hastag #MemorableMonday

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The winners get to choose one novel each out of either Mari, Sylke or Silje's best of 2013 post.

Sylke: Most anticipated books and movies 2013

2013 promises to be an amazing year with loads of books and films coming out. Especially the Dystopian genre seems to be popular right now. I don't mind, being an avid reader. Of course there's more to 2013: These books are the ones I am looking forward to mostly.

Books
Contemporary
Just One Day by Gayle Foreman
A story about a girl and a boy who meet and spend one enchanting day together.
I must say I have not yet read If I Stay, which is a shame. I have heard a lot of stories about Gayle Foreman's writing and have promised myself to read Just One Day. Just One Day was released this January.





If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
The cover caught my attention and the synopsis managed to keep it. If You Find Me will be released March 26th.








Dystopian
The Rules by Stacey Kade

1. Never trust anyone.
2. Remember they are always searching.
3. Don’t get involved.
4. Keep your head down.
5. Don’t fall in love.

The Rules will be published April 23rd.


Altered by Jennifer Rush

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Altered was published January 1st.

Fantasy
The Archived by Victoria Schwab
It's been ages since I've read a story about ghosts, and it certainly was in no way similar to The Archived.

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

The Archived was published January 22nd.


Mind Games by Kiersten White
Mind Games will be published February 19th.

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways… or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

Paranormal
The Holders by Julianna Scott
We're participating in the blog tour and I must say I'm very excited! I can't tell you guys exactly what's going to happen, but it will be good, I promise. The Holders will be released March 5th.

Becca is lost, but found at the same time. Can she bring herself to leave Ryland now that he's settled and can clearly see his future? Will she be able to put the the feelings she has for Alex aside and head back to the US? And can Becca and Ryland ever forgive their father for what he's done?

Ink by Amanda Sun
Ink will be released June 25th.

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.
Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.
A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.
And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

Historical Fiction
Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

I've always loved historical fiction and finally there's a new exciting title coming up. The synopsis sounds promising and look at that gorgeous cover! Strands of Bronze and Gold will be released March 12th.


Sequel
Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Boundless is the final book of the Unearthly series. I absolutely loved Unearthly and Hallowed and I can't wait to finally get all my answers. Boundless was published January 22nd.




The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
The Indigo Spell is the third book in the Bloodline series, a spin-off of Vampire Academy. The Indigo Spell will be published February 12th.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Unravel Me is the sequel to Shatter Me. While I was disappointed by Shatter Me, I have high hopes for Unravel Me. After the ending of Shatter Me I am very excited to get to know Omega Point and of course more Warner! Unravel Me will be released February 5th.


And the one book I really can't wait for to be released? The third and last book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. It doesn't have a title nor a cover yet and I'm getting frustrated, especially after the ending of Insurgent... Its goodreads description mysteriously states "Book 3 comes out in the fall"...


As for movies, 2013 promises to be an amazing year.

Which books and movies are you looking forward to in 2013?

Book review: Struck by Lightning by Chris Colfer

Struck by Lightning: the Carson Phillips Journal is originally a movie script to a movie playing in U.S. theatres these days. Chris Colfer wrote the script, plays the main character and has also written this book based on it. Colfer is also an actor on the TV-show Glee and this is his second book, the first being a children's fantasy novel, Land of Stories. Just to be clear, I am already a fan of Chris Colfer as an actor but I'm gonna try my best not to let that influence my review of this book.

SBL is written as the diary of the main character Carson Philips. He is an outsider at school, both smart and a smart-arse. He's from a broken up home, where his father left years ago and his mother hasn't really gotten out of the couch since then. Carsons biggest dream is to get out of the small town he lives in where his talents are unappreciated. He finds some dirt on a couple of his more popular classmates and decides to blackmail them into writing for him in a literary magazine. He needs this to show the University of Northwestern that he can inspire and create to fulfill his own dream of going there and become a sucessful journalist and editor. He then realizes how most people have skeletons in their closets, so why stop with only two classmates?

High School. Society’s bright idea to put all their aggressive, naive youth into one environment to torment and emotionally scar each other for life.

 I like the storyline of this book and it's what made me want to read it in the first place. Carson's story is pretty tragic and sad but is told in a very sarcastic tone. Carson is a very ambitious, arrogant and quite cynical character but he has his reasons. I read that Chris Colfer wrote the original script as a teenager in high school because this is the movie he wanted and needed to see. The main character is based on himself but more as the person he wanted to be, the one that punched/fought back with witty comments and didn't only think them, or in my case thought of them waay later:-) Even though Carson isn't a very sympathetic character I still care for him. I think many of us at times have wanted to find our inner Carson Phillips (or Veronica Mars<3) despite the fact that he thinks he is better than everyone else. Sometimes you have to think that way to get by, it's a defense mechanism. This kind of character is usually not the one we root for and I don't root for Carson all the time either, but I guess that makes him a somewhat complex character. I especially liked the parts of the book where Carson went to see his grandmother with Alzheimer's that is the only person he really cares about and also the scenes with his depressed mother. They felt very real and heartbreaking and adds some debth and humanity to the character.

This book is at times very funny, even hilarious, and at times it makes you both sad and angry. Carson is both bitter and cynical and his way of caracterizing the people around him reflects this. The characters are high school-stereotypes and described almost as caricatures but it works in a way because it is written as a diary and therefore in Carson's own words and opinion. I still have a feeling that this works better and feels more natural on screen than on paper.

The bottom line is that I really like the plot, the dark humour and the sadness side by side but the execution is not flawless. Colfer's writing has a certain edge and I think an originality to it but the book feels a little rushed especially towards the end. It's a very entertaining and easy read so you don't have to think twice about it if you're curious to see what Chris Colfer can do as an author. Even though this book doesn't live up to it's full potential in my opinion I am very curious to see what else he's got up his sleeve because I think he shows a lot of promise as a YA-author with Struck by Lightning. I am also very excited to see the movie. Has anyone seen it?

 
My rating:

3.5/5

Source:
Bought my own copy.

Author Selah Janel Interview and $20.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE at BittenByBooks

What kind of a rock star lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere and plays at weddings and funerals? Then Jack Scratch comes into his life, ready to represent him and launch him to stardom. Jack can give him everything: a new band, a new name, a new life, a new look, and new boots…although they aren’t exactly new. They once belonged to The One, a rocker so legendary and so mysterious that it’s urban legend that he used black magic to gain success. But what does Jeremiah care about urban legend? And it’s probably just coincidence that the shoes make him dance better than anyone, even if it doesn’t always feel like he’s controlling his movements. It’s no big deal that he plunges into a world of excess and decadence as soon as he puts the shoes on his feet, right? But what happens when they refuse to come off? Author Selah Janel Interview and  $20.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE Here

Sound Bites Author Kelley Armstrong Podcast and Signed Book Contest LIVE at BittenByBooks!

Sound Bites Author Kelley Armstrong Podcast and Signed Book Contest LIVE Here!


It's been more than ten years, a dozen installments, and hundreds of thousands of copies since Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to the all-too-real denizens of the Otherworld: witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons, among others. And it's all been leading to Thirteen, the final installment, the novel that brings all of these stories to a stunning conclusion.

A war is brewing - the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he's fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it's more than a matter of supernaturals against one another - both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, Thirteen is a grand, crowd-pleasing closer for Armstrong's legions of fans.

Mari: Books I must have 2013

Are you ready to check out some of the 2013 YA releases I ache for with every fiber in this year? My wishlist is painfully long(I'm willing to bet yours is too) so in this post I had to restrain myself a bit and I narrowed the list down to eight titles, all in different genres. 

The links will take you like a whirlwind over to Goodreads, just in case you find anything on the list that captures your interest.

Contemporary:

Maureen Goo's debut novel Since You Asked sounds like so much fun but still addressing a serious subject. The main character of the story is a Korean-American girl who writes(and rants) a column for her high school newspaper all while trying to figure out who she is by finding a way to reconcile her heritage with the contemporary American culture she grows up in.

Contemporary romance:

Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil is yet again another contemporary that does sound like so much fun, don't take my silly description of it but check it out on Goodread. Yeah, I tend to drift towards the more fun, yet that does not mean these books aren't addressing some serious themes. Sam is a geek and he likes it, he doesn't have to worry about girls until there is Camilla. Camilla is set to have Sam in her life, even if he's not interested.

Sam believes that everything he needs to know he can learn from the movies ... but now it looks like he’s been watching the wrong ones.

Fantasy:

I fell head over heels with the intro to the synopsis for Ink:

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

I cannot think of any other fantasy novel I am more exited to read than Ink by Amanda Sun. Ink is the first novel in The Paper Gods series which is set in Japan in our time(at least I believe it is in our time). A young girl, Katie, have to move to her aunt after a family tragedy. If that isn't enough the move is to Japan, its almost like moving to a whole different world. Katie must attend school and there she meets Tomohiro, a boy who has connections to ancient Japanese gods. There is something about Katie that makes Tomohiro loose all control over his powers. If anyone notices they'll both be in big, BIG trouble.

Historical:

In this genre I wanted to steer clear of the historical fantasy novels and instead go for a story that solely belongs in the historical genre. My former blog partner, Nina, loved Ruta Sepetys' debut novel Between Shades of Grey(click to read Nina's review) and I have been meaning to check it out ever since. Now Sepetys has a new historical YA novel, Out of the Easy, coming out(February 2013) and it is already on my wishlist because it sounds just as amazing as her debut novel.

The story is set in New Orleans in the 1950's and the main character, Josie, is mostly known as the daughter of a brothel prostitute. Josie wants to make a better life for herself but a mysterious death makes life difficult for her.

Dystopian:

There is no secret that I do have a ton of dystopian novels on my 2013 wishlist and it was very difficult to choose just one of them to show to you guys. I am looking for a new, great dystopian read. A read that is original, but sadly it does seem like the publishers are struggling to find something truly original and keeps printing the same stories. New author and different book cover, the story is mediocre and reminiscent of its older dystopian siblings. But we'll see, there is still hope ;)

Anyways I choose to display to you Control by debut author Lydia Kang. In the year 2050 Zelia's younger sister is abducted in the foster care agency because of her DNA isn't pure. Zelia is staying in an underground foster home she falls in love and meets new friends(friends with illicit traits!) that's going to help her rescue her sister, the only family Zelia has left.

Well... look at me. Talking big stuff about originality and choosing a novel with a plot that sounds suspiciously like Blood Red Road by Moira Young. What can I say to defend my honor?  It was the DNA part that captured my interest.

Science fiction:

My sci-fi choice for 2013 has to be The Planet Thieves by Dan Krokos. No cover has been released yet but the book is due to release in May.  That is why I'll share the Goodreads synopsis with you guys(which by the way gives off a bit of Ender's Game vibes):

Star Trek meets Rick Riordan
When the crew of the SS Egypt gets massacred by an alien race, Mason Stark, a thirteen-year-old cadet in the Earth Space Command, must lead his fellow cadets in a daring surprise attack to retake the ship, and recover a stolen technology that could spell the end of planet Earth.

Thriller/mystery:

Well, this one was pretty easy although I have seen quite a few other interesting thrillers set to release in 2013 The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry stands out among the "crowd".

Cady wakes up with a memory loss and a pillowcase over her face, in the background she hers someone barking out an order "Finish her off!". It does seem like it might be a tad too late for Cady to save herself but we'll just have to read the book and find out how she does it. Since this book is 244 pages long I think it is safe to say that she lives beyond page one. By the way I seem to remember having read something about an additional mystery in this book, a missing family but I might be spreading false rumors here.

Steampunk:

I assume it to be illegal to have any other YA steampunk novel higher on ones 2013 wishlist than Gail Carriger's Etiquete & Espionage, the first book in the Finishing School series. This story is set in the same world as Gail's adult series, The Parasol Protectorate, I adored the first book in this series however the second one was a bit of a let down for me. Still I have high hopes for her YA series.

How can one ever possibly resist at pitch like this?

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time.

What do you think of my 2013 picks? Any of them on your wishlist?

Do leave a comment and tell me which books you are pining for this year.

Silje's favorites and least favorites of 2012

In 2012 I read 50 books which was my goodreads goal so I'm satisfied about the quantity but what about the quality of those 50 books? I have had some really good experiences, a lot of good and mediocre ones and only a couple of dissapointments. Here are the best and worst of 2012:

The best:

Best contemporary:
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: an emotional, gripping, unexpected and beautiful read about a 17 year old girl who struggles between mourning after the death of her sister and falling in love. The writing is tender, grandiose and almost dripping with emotions. I fell in love with the characters and the story and this is definitely one of my favorite books not only this year.


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: I guess this has gotten all the praise in the world already but I think it deserves it. An honest, funny and really heartbreaking story about love, life and death that makes you laugh out loud, cry, think, read out loud to anyone nearby and maybe even give them a hug. I am so grateful to have finally discovered this author and I'm really looking forward to the rest of his books.


Best beginning of a series:
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: an original story I think with a mix of urban fantasy and high fantasy. I did like the high fantasy-parts the best but I enjoyed the entire book and Prague really is a magical place:-)


Most magical:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: my first Gaiman-experience and I wasn't dissapointed. Bod Owens is a little boy that after the death of his parents are "adopted" by the Owens' and grows up in a graveyard. The story has been compared to The Jungle Book and I had certain associations to Harry Potter. Most of it because I find the same childhood magic in both of them. It's a fantasy/fairytale about growing up and being different told brilliantly and elegantly by Mr. Gaiman.


Best horror:
Carrie by Stephen King: this book is quite sad and a lot different from what I expected. The mix of  the sad story about Carrie being bullied and feeling leftout, the descriptions of a small town society, the paranormal aspect all done in the writing of the great Stephen King really works for me.
.

Best dystopia:
Variant by Robison Wells: this dystopian YA had something I've missed lately It was unpredictable and that gave me that uncomfortable but yet exciting feeling of not knowing what's goin to happen and how far the evil will go. The evil didn't go any further than I can manage and the storyline is very interesting.


Best graphic novel:
Aya by Marguerite Abouet: a funny and warm graphic novel about Aya, a teenager in The Ivory Coast in the 70s, experiencing and feeling all the things a teenage girl everywhere in the worls does.


Most original:
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak: an original structure and a good story made this read worth the while. The young  taxi driver Ed Kennedy is given the opportunity to do something about his rather empty life when cards with adresses and other messages show up at his house. The big mystery is who's sending him the cards.


Least favorites:
As I already wrote I have had a lot of mediocre reading experiences this year but very few bad ones. Sometimes you're expectations aren't fulfilled and that defines the experience of a book for you even thoug the book itself isn't necessarily as bad. This year I was a little dissapointed in both one of Mari's favorites this year, the swedish fantasy-book The Circle, and Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler's The Future of Us. I still liked them to a certain degree but I found the Circle to be a little too unoriginal and The Future of Us had a very good plot that didn't live up to it's potential in my opinion.

But here are my least favourite YA-books of 2012 (I could't find more than two so that's pretty good):

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margareth Stohl: a lot of you probably liked this book and I really thought I would too. Maybe I'm just fed up with the Paranormal Romance but this didn't entertain or move me at all. The romance took too much part in the story and I just didn't feel any tension or emotions for the couple. The characters and environment also felt a bit too constructed.  I would probably never have finished it unless I had signed up for a norwegian book blog tour and feel no need to continue with this series.



Hush, hush: The graphic novel: in this case I don't think it was a good idea to make the book into a graphic novel as it seems happens to many paranormal YA-series. The characters didn't look right and the story lacked too many details from the book even though it only included a small part of the first book.