Young Adult Giveaway Hop! (Jan. 27th to Jan. 31st)

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

(Jan. 27th to 31st)

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer 

& Down The Rabbit Hole

I'm so excited to be participating in this massive giveaway HOP this month, hosted by the fabulous bloggers mentioned up that way /\. This hop will run from Friday, January 27th through Tuesday, January 31st, 11:59pm. 

Go here to see a list of all the other blogs participating in this hop: [link]

I've decided to giveaway ONE of 12 different YA books of YOUR CHOICE that I read and enjoyed during the year of 2011 (so, last year). Here are the deets:

• Open internationally (wherever Book Depository ships).
• You'll get 1 entry if you follow my blog via GFC.
• You'll get 1 extra entry if you follow me on Twitter. 
• You'll get 1 extra entry if you friend me on Goodreads.com.  

Here are the YA books I'm giving away!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa                               The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa                            The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare                           Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel                    Switched by Amanda Hocking

Beastly by Alex Flinn                                             Worst. Vampire. Ever. by Caissie St. Onge

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater                                   Soul Screamers, Vol. 1 by Rachel Vincent

Here is the Rafflecopter form where you can sign-up:

Review + Giveaway: A Soul to Steal by Rob Blackwell

Hey, everybody! I've got a special treat for you all after this review. Rob Blackwell, the author of A Soul to Steal, has given me permission to giveaway ONE free ebook copy of his book to a lucky blog reader! It's the perfect read for Halloween, so read on to the end of the review to find out how to enter this giveaway… 

A Soul to Steal

by Rob Blackwell

Genre: Thriller/Urban Fantasy

Reading Grade: Adult

Publishing Type: self-published

Publication Date: August 29, 2011

Source: review copy (ebook)

Age Rating: 17+

| Amazon | 

Something is stalking the citizens of Loudoun County, Va. Is it the return of the notorious serial killer known as Lord Halloween? Or is it something worse—a figure that can cloak itself as your worst nightmare? Kate and Quinn, two community journalists, rush to uncover the truth before a promised bloodbath on Halloween night.

The debut novel from award-winning journalist Rob Blackwell, A Soul to Steal balances suspense, horror, action and humor, building to a gripping and unforgettable conclusion. For readers who enjoy Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Jim Butcher, A Soul to Steal is the perfect autumn novel.

My Review

I'm not one to read much in the way of thriller-suspense novels, so I'm no expert in the genre. But, I do know a good story when I read it, and this is definitely great. Whether or not the 'whodunnit' aspect is all that clever—I don't know, because I have nothing to compare it to. But, I think it's awesome because I was wrong about who the killer is, and when you guess, then realize you're wrong by the end, you must have read an effective mystery.

We follow around quite a few different characters, but most of the time, we're inside the heads of Quinn and Kate, the main characters. They are reporters for a small town newspaper called The Loudoun Chronicle, in Virginia. Kate moves there for very personal reasons because she's connected to the serial killer that terrorized the town twelve years earlier.

But, that killer has started to kill in Loudoun again, and as the story progresses, everybody's trying to find him, and this guy's downright terrifying! He keeps on succeeding and a lot people, despite being super careful, still get picked off by him. He is as sick as you'll ever find because he uses the newspaper to publicize his crimes, and to get the people of the town to tremble in fear every October so he can get off on it.

For some reason, he takes a twelve year hiatus and then starts killing again in October of 2006. It's definitely a thrilling ride as you try to figure out who he is and why he's killing people. But, there's this very original and creative aspect to the story that I loved in how it all connected to Washington Irving's “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I won't spoil how it's connected, but it intersects with this story in a really neat way, and sort of parallels Irving's classic spooky read.

I think any adult reader would love this, especially during this time of year. Because the events take place only during October, it's the perfect Halloween read. It's not scary in the horror kind of way since there's not much gore. Lots of murder and mayhem, but we don't see every detail of every kill. That made it easy for me to read and enjoy. From what I understand, this is the first book in a trilogy, so there's more to come in future Halloweens.

I received this book for review from the author for my honest opinion.

My score: 4.5 stars out of 5. 

 

*This goes toward my 2011 Spooktacular October Paranormal Reading Challenge!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

• open internationally
• leave a comment under this blog post with your name, email, and Google Friend Connect (GFC) name, if you're a follower
• following my blog is NOT required, but encouraged
• followers of my blog will receive an extra entry (+1)
• 1 winner will be chosen by Random.org
• 1 ebook in ONE of the following formats will be chosen by the winner:
  Kindle, Epub, PDF, RTF, LRF, PDB, or Plain Text
• Last day to enter: Sunday, November 6^th, 2011.

Dark Seeker Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway of Taryn Browning's, Dark Seeker novel. This was my first blog giveaway, and I found it was really fun! I'm planning on doing another one next week, so stay tuned for that....

(Picked at random by Random.org.)

The winner of Dark Seeker (Kindle ed.) is...

Renee Rearden! 

Congratz! You're Kindle copy is attached to the email sent to you. Thanks so much for participating.

Author Interview + Giveaway! Featured: Taryn Browning

Today, I have the delightful Taryn Browning, author of the Dark Seeker novel series here doing an interview for the blog! She was kind enough to answer some questions about her vampire hunter series, short story "Dark Beauty," and its following novel series, Dark Seeker. The questions are about the prequel story, "Dark Beauty," since that's all I've read, so far, but they are both part of the same fictional universe.

At the end of the interview, find out how ONE lucky reader can win a free Kindle ebook copy of Taryn's novel, Dark Seeker, which is now available for sale. UPDATE (10/18/2011): THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW EXPIRED...

1. Is “Dark Beauty” your first published work? Tell us a little about your history and experience as an author.

Yes. I’ve written three independent novels ranging from YA paranormal romance to urban fantasy, and a short story (Dark Beauty). I also have a bunch of partials and a novella floating around that I hope to get back to sometime in the not-so-distant future. Although, I’m not counting on it since I already have ideas for book #2 in the Seeker series.

2. I've seen you mention that you are represented by a literary agent. Your vampire-hunter short story, “Dark Beauty,” seems to be self-published. Why did you decide to self-publish this title?

Even though I’m represented by an agent, I am self-publishing a short story and the first novel in a series of books to come. I think many authors are starting to dip their feet into both the traditional and self-publishing worlds. For me, self-publishing allows me to share my stories with readers while also pursuing my traditional publishing dreams. Plus, I’m having a great time getting to know readers and I enjoy discussing YA. I absolutely love the diverse characters in Dark Seeker—and I also happen to have a crush on Kai! :) Each character—good, bad, or both (sometimes it’s hard to determine)—has a unique personality and background. They definitely make the book fun to write, and read.

3. Will you be writing more “Dark Beauty”?

Yes. I’ve actually started writing the second story in the prequel series. I’ve had lots of people ask for more of Isabelle and Abram during their Seeker years, so, I’m writing more. Plus, I feel like they still have more to share. Their relationship is touched upon in Dark Seeker. I’d love to fill in more of their back story by continuing Dark Beauty. More of their relationship will also be revealed in the next Seeker novel.

4. What inspired you to write “Dark Beauty”? Did anything from your life or the media influence you?

I am a huge Buffy fan, so I guess you could say it was influenced by my love of the show. I love strong female characters. Like Buffy, Isabelle and Janie can definitely hold their own.

5. Your main character, Isabelle, is from Cherokee descent. What made you decide to give her that particular cultural heritage?

I wanted Isabelle to have a unique background and there are a lot of really cool Native American legends about vampires and demons to further explore in the series.

6. In the world of “Dark Beauty,” the vampire-hunters are called Seekers and they live all over the United States. Can you explain a little about their origin, without spoiling any possible future installments?

Seekers have been around for as long as vampires have existed. They are overseen by the Apotheosis, who place Chapters made up of mentors and past Seekers in each city to supervise Seeker duties. Being a Seeker runs in the family. The offspring of Seekers grow up to be Seekers themselves once they turn 15, or enter high school. From there, they do four-year rotations, starting over again in a different city once they complete their senior year. This continues until they make the decision to leave the Seeker life. During their time as a Seeker they don’t age.

As for Isabelle, Abram and Janie, you’ll just have to wait to find out more about their lives as Seekers and when/if they decide to leave it—and what roles they play within the Seeker “world” in the future. One thing that’s certain is their primary enemy isn’t vampires anymore. There is a new, more deadly hybrid with plans to create more of their kind.

7. I love the snarky friction between Isabelle and Abram. Is there a chance it will lead to some romance between them?

There is definitely a spark between Isabelle and Abram. Since they are much older in Dark Seeker, they have a relationship and history, but I’m not going to tell you what type. You’ll have to read Dark Seeker and the next story in the prequel series to find out. Sorry! :)

8. My final question for you, Taryn, is about your writing process, something I can't help but be curious about with authors... Planner or Pantser?
   
   I’m a panster. I come up with an idea and run with it. I’ve jumped up from the dinner table, rushed out of the shower, and woken up in the middle of the night with a thought in my head. I have to immediately jot it down or I will forget (story of my life). I don’t know if it’s just a glitch in my brain, but stories just seem to roll out of my head. I’ve always had an over-active imagination. I thought it was normal to think up stuff—until my husband told me it wasn’t, lol! :) That’s okay—I embrace it.  

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Enter the giveaway for a chance to win ONE free Kindle ebook copy of Taryn's latest novel, Dark Seeker! All you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post with your name and email address so I can contact you if you win. All entrants who follow this blog will get an extra entry (+1), so be sure to leave me your Google Friend Connect name in the comment below, too!

This giveaway will stay open for entries from Tuesday, October 4, 2011 through Monday, October 17, 2011. That's TWO weeks!

Blog Tour: Weaving Destiny Review + Giveaway

Today, I'm happy to be hosting a tour stop for the "Weaving Destiny Blog Tour," in honor of the release of G.P. Ching's sequel to The Soulkeepers, Weaving Destiny. I have a full review of the book ready below, but first there's an opportunity for readers to enter a giveaway hosted by G.P. on her blog for a chance to win your choice of a Kindle, or Nook e-reader!

Just hop on over to her blog (here) and answers the questions in the form and you'll be entered. The giveaway is open to everyone until Monday, September 26th. Good luck to you all, and enjoy  The Soulkeepers series!

Weaving Destiny (The Soulkeepers, #2)

by G.P. Ching

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publishing Type: self-published

Publication Date: September 6, 2011

Source: eARC from author

Age Rating: 15+ (for some profanity)

Amazon.com

Malini Gupta thought Jacob Lau was her destiny. But after months of failing to decipher how she fits into the Soulkeepers, frustration threatens to tear their relationship apart. And it doesn't help that a new Soulkeeper named Mara is ready to stop time itself to earn Jacob's love.

When Malini faces her worst fears, and even death, she learns a funny thing about destiny. Fate is a tapestry of choices, and she has the power to weave hers.

My Review

First off, if you haven't already read my review for the first The Soulkeepers book in this series, feel free to do so now (by clicking here). Compared to the first book, Weaving Destiny is definitely an evolution. I always felt like there was one unidentifiable, gnawing thing missing from the first, but it is rectified in Weaving Destiny. The writing is much better, the story-telling even more intricate and clever, and the characters seem even more realistic and likable.

This volume focuses on Malini Gupta, the title character, Jacob Lau's, girlfriend. I always liked Malini from book one, but I really didn't get the chance to come to love her as much as I do now, after getting inside her head and heart. What a neat girl she is! She has so much thrust upon her and simply doesn't feel like all the other Soulkeepers, that she's ready to do battle. She's not. It's a feeling so easy to relate to because, who would feel ready for that kind of life, being a normal person?

One of the pervasive themes of the story, I suppose for the entire series—but here it's really upfront—is the concept of 'destiny.' Obviously, its title is appropriate, because Malini begins the story believing, like so many young people do (I know I did!), that destiny is made for you by some cosmic force in the universe, and no one can do anything about it. We have to hope for the best and that's that.

But, what inevitably comes with age, maturity, and life experience is what Malini discovers through her trials: that she is, in fact, subject to destiny, but she is, in fact, the weaver of that destiny. I love how this theme is interwoven throughout, and her understanding of this concept is gradually obtained. She realizes she always had the power to shape her own future, and that pertains to everyone who's reading about her, too.

Read this if you want a sophisticated story with complex, real-world themes wrapped up in beautiful fantasy elements that is sure to entertain you. Think of it as the most delicious, wholesome, home-cooked meal prepared for you by a seasoned expert: savory, satisfying, and nourishing all at the same time.

I received this title from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My score: 5 out of 5 stars.