{Promo} The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski: Favorite Quote + Giveaway

The following is promotional material provided by the awesome ladies over at Good Choice Reading in celebration of the release of The Winner's Curse in less than two weeks. I absolutely loved this novel, and I'm beyond giddy that it releases on April's birthday. So, to celebrate the release and April's birthday, I'm giving away a copy to one lucky reader. (Don't worry, I'm also sending one April's way...couldn't have her missing out on the epicness that is this book. =D)

First things first, a little about the epic novel in question:

Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Curse, book #1
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound | Books-A-Million

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Here's the very cool trailer:



And here's my very favorite quote from the book:

Also for your reading pleasure, here are links to my reviews of The Winner's Curse and Marie's other YA novel The Shadow Society.

Rules:

• This giveaway is international. As long as you can accept ebooks via Amazon/Barnes & Noble or if The Book Depository ships to your location and the book is currently available, you are good to go. (You can double-check that here.)
• One entry per household. 
• Entries will be verified. Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant. 
• Winner will be notified via email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Please check your SPAM folder!!! 
• We are not responsible for lost packages. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Marie Rutkoski is the author of The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders and The Celestial Globe. The Cabinet of Wonders, her debut novel, was named an Indie Next Kids’ List Great Read and a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, among other honors. Rutkoski grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She attended the University of Iowa, where she took Writers’ Workshop classes and studied with Pulitzer Prize-winner James Alant McPherson. After graduating, she lived in Moscow and Prague. Upon receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard University, she held dual appointments as a lecturer there in both English and American Literature and Language, and History and Literature. Rutkoski is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children’s literature and creative writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and cat.

Find Marie:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Best of luck & happy reading!

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Labels: all the swoons, april, book trailers, fantasy, favorites, giveaways, historical fiction, macmillan, marie rutkoski, must-read, promotions, teasers, the winner's curse

{Blog Tour} Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez: Teaser + Giveaway

Hello, lovely readers!  I am so excited to bring you a special teaser and giveaway as part of the Death, Dickinson and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia Blog Tour.  The awesome peeps over at Book Nerd Tours have put together a great tour, and I'm glad to help share this book with you.

Title: Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia
Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez
Series: n/a
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Frenchie Garcia can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn’t know she had a crush him. And they don’t know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie’s biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.

Frenchie’s already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won’t help her understand the role she played during Andy’s “one night of adventure.” But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.

Teaser:

“And while I try not to think of him at all, I can’t help it. This night. This drive. All of this. It reminds me of Andy.”

About the author:

Jenny Torres Sanchez lives in Florida with her husband and children where she currently writes full time. Before her debut novel The Downside of Being Charlie she taught high school for several years, where she credits her eclectic students for inspiring her to write young adult novels.

Find Jenny:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour...click the tour host button below to see the full schedule!



Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

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Labels: blog tour, death dickinson and the demented life of frenchie garcia, giveaways, jenny torres sanchez, running press, teasers

{Blog Tour} Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting: Review & Teaser Quote + Giveaway

You guys, I am soooo excited to be a part of the Dead Silence Blog Tour organized by Candace at Candace's Book Blog/CBB Book Promotions!  This is absolutely one of my favorite series, and I am beyond thrilled to bring you not only my review but a teaser quote from this (final!?!) book in the series PLUS the most incredible giveaway!  Check it out below and be sure to stop by the rest of the tour for more awesome reviews, guest posts & interviews!

Title: Dead Silence
Author: Kimberly Derting
Series: The Body Finder, book #4
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 16, 2013
Source: ARC from publisher for blog tour
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

This is probably going to read more like a plea to the author than a review.  So be it.

I love this series.  I love the characters, how much they've matured over the course of these four books and how their relationships have changed.  And I'm not ready to say goodbye yet.  When I finished Dead Silence, it didn't feel like goodbye, either.  So many things feel unresolved; it didn't feel like an ending at all, not even an open-ended type of conclusion.  I was actually anticipating an announcement from the author regarding the next book, but then I saw THIS post.  I knew it was likely that this would be the last book, and nothing is definite, as evidenced by the author's response to my comment on the aforementioned post (see below), but it hurt my heart to know that this may be the last body-finding adventure I get to go on with Violet, Jay, and the rest of the Center gang.

And it's obvious how much Kimberly Derting does indeed love her characters, even though she puts them through hell at times.  There are some intense and horrifying moments for Violet, and she puts herself in danger entirely too often, but at the end of the day, she's a great heroine, role model and just an intriguing character overall.  Her gift -- or curse, depending on the situation -- definitely makes life interesting.  And once she learns that she's not alone, that there are others like her with similar gifts, things get really exciting.

As remarkable as Violet's gift may be, actually using it is what gets her into trouble.  More often than not, using her gift means stumbling onto a murder victim, and Violet can't get any peace of mind until the victim is laid to rest and the murder is solved.  The author creates an added layer of creepiness to the story by interspersing Violet's perspective with that of the killer, and a disturbing game of cat and mouse ensues while Violet searches for clues to aid in the Center's investigations.  And while the killer is loose, no one is safe...not Violet, not her colleagues, and not her friends.

Violet's had her ability since she was a child, and she's mostly kept it a secret, though her best friend Jay has known the truth of her gift for years.  Jay has proven himself compassionate and caring and completely trustworthy time and again, showing exactly why he has become one of my most treasured book boyfriends. He's the real deal, and the relationship between Jay and Violet, from best friends to first loves, is my absolute favorite kind.  Have you ever read about a more honest and adorable fictional couple in YA literature?  I don't think so.  Sure, they hem and haw around their feelings for each other in the beginning, but they've been nothing but forthright with each other since.  Just as Violet is an inspiring character, this romance is one to aspire to...a love for the ages, if you will.

Sure, there have been complications, with the relationships in this story and in general, but these characters persevere and do what is ultimately right.  They fight the good fight.  And I'm not sure I'll ever be able to adequately express how much I'm going to miss all of them.  If this is it for Violet and friends, I'm glad the series ended on the note it did.

But hear this, Kimberly Derting:  I will ALWAYS be ready for more, so whenever you feel like writing more of Violet, Jay, Rafe or even Chelsea, know that you have a willing reader in me.  (Please, please, PLEASE write more body-finding adventures!  Pretty please?)


Rating:  


Teaser Quote*:

     Still reeling, Violet was about to close the journal when she saw something sticking out from between the pages.  A slip of paper, maybe.  She stuck her finger between the sheets of paper, and just as she was opening the book, a photograph drifted out, floating to the floor in front of her.
     She didn't have to pick it up to realize what she was looking at. Who she was looking at. All she had to do was count.
     They were all there, the Circle of Seven.

Kimberly Derting is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins) and THE PLEDGE trilogy
(Simon & Schuster). She lives in the Seattle area, with her husband and three children, who often find the outrageous things they say either in the pages of her books or posted on Twitter or Facebook for the entire world to see.

You can visit her website at www.kimberlyderting.com.

*Teaser Quote was procured from an Advance Reading Copy and is subject to change.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the recent tour stops below or visit the full tour schedule:

April 3

Gone Pecan ~ Review & Interview

Vy's Blog ~ Review & Teaser Quote

April 4 
Beauty and the Bookshelf ~ Review

April 5
Hope, Love and Happy Endings ~ Review & Teaser Quote

Reading Lark ~ Review & Book BFF

I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I have! Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

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Labels: blog tour, favorites, harper-collins, kimberly derting, murder mystery, must-read, psychological thriller, reviews, teasers, the body finder

Feature: Tempest by Julie Cross

The word about Tempest (my review here), the first novel in a trilogy by Julie Cross, is already spreading like wildfire.  And thanks to the wonderful people at Macmillan/St. Martin's Griffin/Griffin Teen, I have some goodies to share to prepare you for this time travel adventure!




First up, I have an audio clip of the first chapter of the Tempest audiobook:

If that's not enough of a time-traveling Jackson fix for you, you can read an excerpt of the first four chapters of Tempest on the book's Facebook page.  And if that's still not enough Jackson for you, here's a bonus short story from Julie Cross that takes place before the events of Tempest: 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Facebook



Tempest will be released on January 17, 2012, by St. Martin's Griffin.

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Labels: features, freebies, teasers, tempest

Teasers, Pleasers & Other Fun Stuffs...#4

All the things I found on the internet this week that made me swoon, giggle, or just wish I had a time machine so I could travel to the future. Enjoy!

First up, I continue my quest and love for all things Vampire Academy/Richelle Mead.  Which is kinda strange considering I JUST stumbled upon VA when I bought an audiobook on sale from Audible.  But, hey, it doesn't matter how or how long, just that you finally did, right?  So, here's the latest trailer for Bloodlines, featuring Sydney Sage:

Jace Wayland was making his way up the ranks in the YA Crush Tourney, eventually coming out on top and taking the coveted title, and now Cassandra Clare's readers are reaping the benefits:

Illustration by Burdge-Bug on Deviantart

Jace's POV on the Manor Scene in City of Glass










By Palnk on deviant-Art



Of Loss:  Will's perspective on the events of Clockwork Angel, page 285-292

And because of Jace's win, there's more to come!!!

Behold, Jeff Hirsch's The Eleventh Plague now has a trailer:

The novel will be released on September 1st.  Check out my review now, though, to see why any fan of the dystopian genre should definitely pick this one up.

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Labels: bloodlines, book trailers, cassandra clare, dystopian, teasers, the infernal devices, the mortal instruments

Teasers, Pleasers & Other Fun Stuffs...#3

All the things I found on the internet this week that made me swoon, giggle, or just wish I had a time machine so I could travel to the future. Enjoy!

First off, I'm just about through with the audiobooks for the Vampire Academy series.  I should actually finish Last Sacrifice today.  Which is all the more reason to be excited for Bloodlines, due out later this month.  In anticipation, here are a few teaser trailers for the first book in the Bloodlines series.  (I haven't watched them yet for fear of spoilers but as soon as I'm done with VA #6 today, you can bet I'll be playing these over and over and over.)

I love getting my hands on extras, excerpts, deleted scenes and the like.  In the last week or so, several authors have released these little extras, much to my delight:




From Andrea Cremer, we have a deleted scene from Nightshade.








Thanks to HarperTeen, you can browse the first few chapters of Supernaturally by Kiersten White.







Author Josephine Angelini offers up an excerpt from the second chapter of Dreamless, the forthcoming sequel to her mythology-laiden Starcrossed.





 
In honor of Ash's win against Patch in the very close match-up in the YA Crush Tourney, Julie Kagawa is giving us a deleted scene from the The Iron Queen.






And from Richelle Mead, we get the original first chapter of Bloodlines, told from Adrian's POV.

Lauren DeStefano, author of The Chemical Garden trilogy, may be taking a brief hiatus from the internets to work on book three in the series, but she left us with this beautiful image of the cover jacket for Fever, book two in the series, due out in February of next year.

Lastly, we have some awesome trailers for some recently or soon-to-be released novels that I can't wait to get my hands on, even more so after having viewed these trailers!

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Labels: bloodlines, book trailers, chemical garden trilogy, nightshade, paranormalcy, starcrossed, teasers, the iron fey series

Review: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Title:  Spellbound
Author:  Cara Lynn Shultz
Series:  n/a (at this time)
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Publication Date:  June 28, 2011
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

Review:



I liked this story more than I probably should have. It has insta-love, a predictable plot-line (and one that is very reminiscent of another I've recently read), too many pop-culture references, and some unoriginal characters, but I loved it all the same. It was a light, fun read, and probably just what I needed after reading the eerie Imaginary Girls.
The storyline has promise and clearly paved the way for a series, hopefully more intent on exploring witchcraft than this first novel. The curse served as the basis for Emma and Brendan's story, but based on the excerpt at the end of the ARC I read, told from Angelique's perspective, I think we'll probably see less love story and more witchiness in future books.

I enjoyed the main character. She made me chuckle quite a few times and she was gutsy. And who couldn't adore the swoon-worthy Brendan with his mess of dark hair and penetrating green eyes? The characters were all perfectly lovely in their own way, but they just seemed a little stock to me, so hopefully the author will have more of a chance to develop them with future novels. (I keep saying that because I read elsewhere that there was recently an announcement that this would become a series. I have seen nothing official, and it's not listed as a series on Goodreads, but I'm hoping.)

I know it's next to impossible not to make comparisons when reading, but I really try not to. I've seen such comparisons made in other reviews of this book, but I won't do the same because, despite my qualms with this novel, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it and feel that it deserves to stand alone and not be compared to its predecessors. I definitely recommend it to anyone who just likes a good love story, but also to those who can see the promise in a first novel, knowing that all endeavors are made better with practice.



Next up for review: 

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Labels: reviews, teasers