I'm thrilled to be able to welcome author Jodi Lamm on Escape In A Book today. Jodi will be sharing a teaser from her YA fantasy novel titled Titan Magic and she has also kindly offered to giveaway a signed paperback(internationally). Check out the teaser and the giveaway below:
A dark blanket of clouds crept like sea foam across the sky. In that shadow, the stag became a formidable silhouette. It stood on three legs and towered over Maddy, who remained on her knees. Part of her knew that this thing, this talking animal, was more dangerous to her than anything else in the world. She knew because no matter how hard she tried to be frightened of it, she could not overcome the feeling of total peace she had in its presence.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“You used to call me Jas.” The stag bowed its head. “You were the only one who called me Jas.”
Maddy closed her eyes and dug her fingers into the ground. “That’s not what I meant.”
“You meant to ask me what I am.”
She nodded.
“You should always say what you mean.”
Maddy forced herself to look up at the shape of her abductor—of Jas. It was strange, talking to someone who could hear her. “Are you… Are you a woodsprite?”
The stag chuckled. “No.”
“A forbidden creature?”
“You could say that.”
Maddy didn’t want to know more, but her instincts would not let her be until she asked. “A Titan?”
The stag lifted its head at that, and Maddy shifted back in horror. Had she guessed correctly? If he said yes, she was dead. Titans didn’t let people who met them survive the meeting. Everyone knew that. Only no one believed in Titans. No one believed in talking animals either.
The stag huffed and limped toward the forest, but turned back once to answer her. “It was a Titan who did this to me.”
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful teaser with us, Jodi! If you want to win a signed paperback copy of Titan Magic then don't forget to enter in the giveaway below. a Rafflecopter giveaway
NEWSOUL Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.
NOSOUL Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?
HEART Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?
My thoughts:
First of all, how gorgeous is that cover?! I am not ashamed to admit that beautiful covers draw me in, but in Incarnate the story was just as beautiful. If only every YA fantasy was as exciting, original and well written as Incarnate, but it really is the butterfly of its genre. I can already tell that Incarnate will be on my Top 10 of 2012 lists, and I'm saying that in January!
Ana is incredible. For the first eighteen years of her life, she has been taught that she is a nosoul, unworthy of love, happiness and life itself. And like I am sure many of you know; if you're told something often enough, you start believing it. I felt so bad for her, and was really rooting for her to find the truth about who she really is. I really enjoyed discovering the small pleasures of life alongside her, and seeing her regain faith in herself, and trust in the world around her.
Sam. Wow. I think I'm in love with him. He was such a kind, gentle soul, showing Ana the kind of friendship and love she had never known before. It was really interesting to see how he deals with being over five thousand years old, to carry all that knowledge and pain from past lives into the future. When he talked of his past lives and deaths I could feel the pain as if it was my own, and I really got to see what a blessing and curse reincarnation was for him. And his love for music was so beautiful!
The story is perfectly paced, with excitement well mixed in with Ana's daily life. I never felt like anything was rushing or going to slow, but was happy for the story to take me where it wanted to go. And wow - that twist toward the end had me crying out in anger! Still the ending itself came together perfectly, with just enough unanswered questions to make me want the sequel, yet without any of the cliffhangers that just make me frustrated.
I really don't feel like anything I say can do this beautiful, beautiful book justice, so please just pre-order a copy and see for yourself! Incarnate is a new favorite for me, and I can't wait to read more of what Jodi Meadows writes in the future.
This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.
Earlier this month author Richard Due visited Escape In A Book and shared a great interview with us, one with his fantastic illustrator, Carolyn Arcabascio. At the same time Richard offered five lucky readers a copy each of his YA/MG epic fantasy novel called The Moon Coin. Raffelcopter helped me pick winners and here they all are:
Mary
Lecea
Maria
Vivien
Kirsten
Congratulations y'all! We will be in touch via email, so don't forget to check your inbox. To all of the other entrants thanks for entering and good luck next time around. Don't forget to enter our
Today we are shining the spotlight on the release of the third book, The Weavers of Path, in The Masters That be series by Lynna Merrill. We're celebrating with a giveaway. Lynna has kindly offered to give one of our readers the first three books in the series. Do check out more information about the books and the author, Lynna Merrill, in this post. Want a chance to win this series? Of course you do :) Then enter the giveaway at the end of this post.
The Weavers of Path:
The Bers have ruled Mierenthia with fire magic and an iron fist for hundreds of years, but now their magic is failing. The firepipes are dry. The firewells gape cold and empty, and the factories are shutting down. Light, warmth, and food are scarce. Strange creatures appear not only in the distant forests but even in the cities, the Bers' own strongholds.
Amidst this chaos arises Linden, a young commoner woman who dares oppose a Ber with forbidden magic of her own. She is joined by Rianor, the High Ruler of Qynnsent, who defies what the Bers call a noble's greatest responsibility. The two tamper with the half-ridiculed, half-forbidden idea of science and believe that there is more to science than the Bers and mentors would have people think.
Dominick, a young mentor, one of the priestly class who keep people from thinking aberrant thoughts, starts to question the Ber world even as he is trying to save it.
Merley, a young Ber woman who sees things that others cannot, saves a condemned boy and seeks out a reprobate old witch.
As these young people choose the paths rarely taken and make paths of their own, others try to pull their strings and shape the world according to their own wills.
The Makers of Light:
Spring is coming to Mierenthia, yet coldness is still keeping a tight grip upon the world.
Reinstalled as a mentor but considering himself to be the attempted murderer of his father-figure Maxim, Dominick preaches the Master's wisdom but his heart is no longer in it. One morning he loses control and does what he thinks will condemn him forever. Instead, he is awarded with a task much harder, and much more important, than that of any other mentor.
Merley is now walking on the path of artificery, that of working with metal through magic. Yet, at certain moments she abhors metal and the tools and fire that mold it in ways that no Ber should.
Linden and Rianor continue to search for the secrets of science and Ber magic. They are almost convinced that the two are one and the same, when suddenly fire and magic fail even in Qynnsent. This forces them to doubt their choices. They must now decide what life truly is, as well as which lives are worth saving and which ones can, or should, be sacrificed.
The Weavers of Path:
Spring is here, and there is a hint of summer in the air, but it is not a hint of warmth and abundance. All that people expect these days is failed factories and heavy rains splashing over Mierber's broken and filthy streets, newly spoiled grain, and famine.
Heartened by their Stratagem success and their new relationship, Rianor and Linden attempt to save themselves and their House through science. When they barely survive an encounter with the Bers, they start preparing for war.
Meanwhile, in one of Mierber's less savory neighborhoods, Dominick is about to take the Order of the Mother to Balkaene despite his hatred towards the place. Besides, in old Darius's tower and in the Firemind, Merley is making hard choices that she knows will change the whole world.
Lynna's bio
Lynna Merrill was accused at an early age that she lived in a world of her own. Since then she has changed the country, continent, and language—but she still lives in worlds of her own. One of these is the world of Mierenthia. A part of it, together with some of its people and conflicts, has recently been chronicled in the first three books of Lynna’s fantasy series, The Masters That Be. Nine books are planned. Lynna also makes her own cover and interior art.
In the real world Lynna has a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the Ohio State University and has worked on various open source software projects, both as a volunteer and as an employee. She wrote the almost 300,000 words of her first three books in the VIM text editor.
Lynna is interested in books (of course), computers, and “what if” questions. She lives by lake Ontario with her husband and soulmate, Alex.
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
My thoughts: I seem to be one of the few who didn't actually like Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls, but since my problem was more with the werewolves than her writing I was still excited to read The Scorpio Races. (And even more excited that it's something as rare as a standalone book from a well-known author.)
I was not let down. Not only is the writing both unique and beautiful, but Stiefvater has managed to use two completely different, personal voices for Puck's and Sean's point of view. The chapters flowed together effortlessly, and I got so connected to both of the main characters that I often found myself wondering what one was doing while I was reading about the other.
Puck was incredibly easy to like. Not because she's perfect; far from it. In the beginning of the story she often comes across as both childish and petulant, and only thinks about how events affect her. Puck doesn't go through a huge transformation, but does becomes more sure of herself and her own aspirations, and picks up some of the empathy she's been lacking. What made me like her so much is that she's not the most beautiful, the smartest, or even the nicest, but she still comes across as a great girl, and you just want to root for her.
Sean quickly became a favorite of mine. His connection to the horses (both the water horses and the regular ones) was incredible, and through his gestures, whispers and loving touches I felt as if I really shared that connection. There was just something so different about him, not just from the other characters in The Scorpio Races, but also from every other male lead in YA. Instead of the author focusing on how hot, popular or cool he is, she shows us (and I mean she actually shows, not just tells) what an amazingly good guy he is.
My only problem with The Scorpio Races was the pacing. The first 350 pages or so of the story focused on the preparations leading up to the race, and so when the race finally began it ended up feeling a little anti-climatic to me. I wish there had been a little more action, and more about the origin and myths of the water horses, but other than that I really enjoyed this book. And if there's one thing I can say about The Scorpio Races, it's that it's hands down the most original Young Adult fantasy I have ever read.
This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.
Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....
My thoughts: I am a huge fan of Maria V. Snyder's writing, and Poison Study is one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. My expectations for Touch of Power were very high, and so I was happy to recognize it as a Snyder novel from the very first chapter.
Avry reminds me quite a bit of both Yelena (Study-series) and Opal (Glass-series). She is self-proficient, independent and is used to not trusting anyone. There were times when I was annoyed with her stubbornness, and others when I was amazed by her quick thinking - just the way I like my main characters. Avry's healing powers are not harmless to herself, yet she never even questions healing her friends, or even enemies, when they are hurt. Healing is as natural to her as breathing.
Touch of Power is very fast paced, and there's action waiting behind every corner. I did miss getting to know Avry and her thoughts a little better, as there are a couple of situations where I just don't get why she acts the way she does, but all in all I liked the non-stop action. Touch of Power has none of that slow first-book-in-a-series-syndrom that seems to be very common (yes, I'm looking at you Bloodlines), and I can't wait to learn more about Avry and her powers in the next book, Scent of Magic, which is coming out some time in 2012.
Cover: Beautiful cover, I love the colors, and once you've read the book you'll get the importance of the lily!:)
This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.
I just discovered a new imprint calledHaikasoruwhich specializes in bringing Japanese science fiction and fantasy "to America and beyond". I've only ever read one book written by a Japanese author before and that gave me a taste for more. The book I read was the young adult thriller called Chain Mail Addicted To You by Hiroshi Ishizaki(read my review)and I highly enjoyed it. That's why I simply couldn't resist ordering a few of the titles that I discovered over at Haikasoru. I'm pretty sure that there's more great Japanese titles out there than the one I've read,here's what I bought:
A killer that might be a werewolf? Now that really got my interest. You can read an extract from the novel here, you can also check out the synopsis from Goodreads below:
In the near future, humans will communicate almost exclusively through online networks - face-to-face meetings are rare and the surveillance state nearly all-powerful. Even school children are only allowed to meet in the flesh on school grounds. So when a serial killer starts slaughtering students, the crackdown is harsh. And despite all the safeguards, the killer's latest victim turns out to have been in contact with three young girls; Mio Tsuzuki, a certified prodigy; Hazuki Makino, a quiet but opinionated classmate; and Ayumi Kono, her best friend. As the girls get caught up in trying to find the killer - who might just be a werewolf - Hazuki learns that there is much more to their monitored communications than meets the eye.
In the land of Toyoashihara, the forces of the God of Light and the Goddess of Darkness have waged war for generations. But for 15-year old Saya, the war is far away and unimportant--until the day she discovers she is the reincarnation of the Water Maiden and a princess of the Children of the Dark. Raised to love the Light and detest the Dark, Saya must come to terms with her heritage even as she is tumbled into the very heart of the conflict that is destroying her country. Both the army of the Light and Dark seek to claim her, for she is the only mortal who can awaken the legendary Dragon Sword, the weapon destined to end the war. Can Saya make the dreadful choice between the Light and Dark, or is she doomed like all the Water Maidens who have come before her?
I haven't been addicted to any combat games like the person in this novel is but perhaps I might still be able to relate to the main character? I did have a period where I play a lot of Tekken on our PS, I'm not a violent person but that sure is a great way to let out some steam and to feel like your the best fighter with the greatest skill out there. At least it made me feel that way when it came to playing against my boyfriend and siblings, because this was the only game I was ever any good at. They beat me in adventure and racing simulating games, so obviously beating up people was more my kind of thing(that really makes me sound scary, I'm not, I promise!).
"...I log in and Tetsuo comes to Versus Town. A make-believe man in a make-believe city. He was new there, and he had come for one thing: to fight." Etsuro Sakagami is a college student who feels uncomfortable in reality, but when he logs onto the combat Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game Versus Town, he becomes "Tetsuo," a karate champion on his way to becoming the most powerful martial artist around. While his relationship with new classmate Fumiko goes nowhere, Etsuro spends his days and nights online in search of the invincible fighter Slasher Jack. Drifting between the virtual and the real, will Etsuro ever be ready to face his most formidable opponent?
