To fully prepare for the coming of The Last Star, we are re-reading The Infinite Sea during the month of March! If you are like me and LOVED The Infinite Sea, this will be a great way to brush up on those burning questions you have that will totally be answered by the time you finish The Last Star.
Join along on social with #TheInfiniteSea and enter for a chance to win signed copies of all three books in The 5th Wave series and a phone call with Rick Yancey!
Full readalong schedule:
WEEK 1 (3/1-3/7): Chapters 1-13
WEEK 2 (3/8-3/14): Chapters 14-32
WEEK 3 (3/15-3/21): Chapters 33-48
WEEK 4 (3/22-3/28): Chapters 48-68
WEEK 5 (3/29-3/31): Chapters 69-84
I'm so unbelievably excited for The Last Star and the conclusion to this amazing series. And even though I've already read The 5th Wave something like three or four times, I'll probably still start my re-read with that book because it's just so awesome. Then I'll hurry and catch up to the readalong. =) And then maybe I'll finally get to see the movie!
Gah, I'm just so excited!!! Don't forget to enter to win Penguin's sweepstakes for a signed set of this amazing trilogy PLUS a phone call from Rick Yancey!
In celebration of Huntley Fitzpatrick's forthcoming The Boy Most Likely To, her third novel and a companion to My Life Next Door, I was asked to participate in Penguin Teen's "The Blog Most Likely To" campaign. There have already been some great entries in this promotion, but when I thought long and hard about which superlative fit this blog best, I knew it would have to do with audiobooks. Thus, we are...
I first discovered my love for audiobooks back in 2011 with SYNC's summer program freebies, but my love only continued to grow from there. Inversely, my bank account only declined once I found Audible's site. C'est la vie. But nowadays, I probably listen to twice as many audiobooks as I actually read because I can listen all day at work, in the car, and while I'm doing chores around the house. The same can't be said for a physical books, no matter how much I wish I could read them all. That's why I use audiobooks to catch up on back-list titles, to listen to those review books I didn't have time for, and to re-read, er, listen to favorites again and again.
In fact, as part of this promotion, we're all re-reading My Life Next Door this month and then we're re-reading What I Thought Was True next month, all so we're prepared for The Boy Most Likely To when it releases in August. Of course, I'll be listening to My Life Next Door. It's narrated by Amy Rubinate, a favorite narrator of mine for her emotional performances.
I freely admit that I push my love of audiobooks onto everyone I can. My sis now listens at her desk. April, my lovely co-blogger and an all-around awesome gal, listens on her commute. And every day I discover more and more people who love audiobooks as much as I do and we get to squee over narrators and agonize together over the wait for an audiobook version to be released. It's kind of the best! :D
Also, did you know that June is Audiobook Month? It totally is! So, if you've never given them a try, there's no better time than now. Especially with a new pair of audiobooks up for grabs for free from SYNC each week!
Anyway, as we gear up for The Boy Most Likely To's release, here's a bit more about the book, and below that, you can enter to win yourself a copy:
Title: The Boy Most Likely To Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick Series:companion to My Life Next Door Publisher: Penguin-Dial for Young Readers Publication Date: August 18, 2015
Surprises abound and sparks ignite in the highly anticipated, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door.
Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To:
- find the liquor cabinet blindfolded
- need a liver transplant
- drive his car into a house
Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To:
- well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.
For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.
Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.
And Alice is caught in the middle.
Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this return to the world of My Life Next Door is a story about failing first, trying again, and having to decide whether to risk it all once more.
Title: Second Star Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel Series: n/a Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) Publication Date: May 13, 2014 Source: from publisher via Netgalley Purchase:Amazon | Barnes & Noble
A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.
I love a good fairy-tale retelling as much as the next girl, but still I go into each one with some amount of trepidation. What if the author butchers one of my favorite characters from my childhood? What if the story is too close to the original to stand on its own? What if the story is so vastly different from the original story that it doesn't feel like a retelling at all? These questions and many others are what I find myself pondering before picking up any book based on a beloved story from my childhood.
Second Star is a Peter Pan retelling. But most of the time, I forgot that fact while I was reading. The most obvious aspect making this a retelling is the fact that neither of the boys that Wendy meets -- while in her search for her lost brothers -- wants to grow up. Pete (Peter, obvs) is the sweet and caring leader of a group of surfers, squatting in a house on the cliffs of the California coast. Jas (Hook) is the mysterious drug-dealing counterpart to Pete's rag-tag gang of surfers. Oh, and Belle (Tinkerbell, again, obvs) is there to keep Wendy from falling for Pete. (Or, rather, to keep Wendy and Pete from getting together because I don't think there's really a possibility of keeping Wendy from falling for Pete.) So, as far as characters go, it sounds pretty similar, right?
No...not really. When it says a "radical reinvention" up there in the summary, it means it. "Neverland" is a beach cove. The Jolly Roger is a seedy bar. Fairy dust is the drug Jas is peddling to his fellow surfers. Jas/Hook actually might not be the villain we've been led to believe. And Wendy's brothers, surfers themselves, may be gone for good.
I liked the idea of Pan and Hook vying for the affections of Wendy Darling. And I should have known that I'd fall for the not-so-evil Hook myself. I always fall for the guy I'm not supposed to like. Such is life, though the fact that Jas might have been the only one interested in helping Wendy find her lost brothers might have something to do with that. But never did I dare to dream that Wendy might actually waver between the two surfers herself. The thing is, though...this Wendy's not the Wendy from the original story either. She's grieving the loss of her brothers. She's making rash decisions, leading to one mistake after another. This Wendy is not the responsible mothering type. Except that this instinct does seem to kick in for her at times, like when she grilled dinner for all the Lost Boys.
There were hints of the original story, as different as this retelling was, and it was enough for me to enjoy the story overall. I wish I could say that I didn't see that ending coming, but I did...no matter how much I was hoping for a different outcome. It's one of those ambiguous, WTF did I just read kind of endings, and honestly, it left me more than a little disappointed. I probably would have rated the book higher if not for that because I was really having fun with the story up to that point, confusing as it was.
GIF it to me straight:
Confusing, wondrous & frustrating. Felt like I was flying in circles myself for much of the book.
About the author:
I was born in Stanford, California, and even though I moved across the country to New York when I was six years old, I still think of myself as a California girl.
Like so many writers, I grew up loving books. I loved stories so much that when there was nothing to read, I wrote my own stories just to give myself something to read. And when there was no pen and paper to be had, I made up stories and acted them out by myself. I played all the parts, and I was never bored.
So, I'm sure you guys have all noticed that flashing button in my sidebar tempting you with the promise of five hot guys as part of the Elementals Read Along that Steph from Cuddlebuggery and I are hosting. I'm sad that it's almost over, but I'm glad I got to experience these books for the first time with some of you!
You know what else I'm excited about? Hosting a stop on the Spirit Blog Tour hosted by The Midnight Garden! And the always delightful Gabriel Merrick is here to answer a few of my burning questions!!!
o Full Name – Gabriel Merrick
o Age – 17
o Goals – Qualify to go through Fire School for the spring semester. Stay alive.
o Likes – Layne, fire, macaroni-and-cheese, running
o Dislikes – Health food, math, when Michael is being a moron
o What constitutes your perfect woman? Have you met Layne?
Welcome
to The Starry-Eyed Revue, Gabriel. I hope you don't mind letting me pick your brain today...I know you control
fire but do you think you can you handle the heat? I guess we’ll find out…
First
things first, why don’t you like to be called Gabe? You call your twin brother Nicky but you don’t like to be called
anything but Gabriel.
Seriously, does anyone like to be called Gabe? Ugh. And I’ve called my brother
Nicky since we were little kids. If he minded, he’d tell me.
Ooookay. I actually knew a Gabe in school, but that's neither here nor there.
So,
I did a little research, and all four of you Merrick boys bear the names of
patron saints. Do you think this was
intentional? Saint Christopher was a
patron for storms. It had to be
intentional, right? That’s just too big
of a coincidence. Except that Saint
Gabriel is the patron saint of messengers, communication workers, and postal
workers. Your parents kind of missed the
mark on that one, huh? Or was I just
looking in the wrong place?
Yeah … um … we’re not really all that
religious. Some d-bag at school said that Gabriel was supposed to be a chick angel
or something. I punched him in the face.
Ha, I'll just bet you did. And deservedly so.
If
you had to pick -- and there was no chance it would cause a fight -- who’s your
favorite brother? (Oh, who am I
kidding…you’d probably do it just to
pick a fight.)
I’m closest to Nicky. That wouldn’t
start a fight. They know.
Okay...I just thought that maybe after what had happened in Spark and what's been foreshadowed with Nick, that maybe you'd have a different opinion. Glad to see you guys are as tight as ever.
I
gotta say, you were my favorite character right from the beginning. That first exchange with Becca in your
kitchen was when I knew. Sure,
you’re cruel to her later in the story, but you own up to your mistakes and
apologize, even going so far as to defend her honor. I think you are a genuinely good guy; you
just don’t know how to verbalize it or show that side of yourself to
others. Am I right?
*scoffs* It’ll probably save you time if
you just keep assuming I’m a complete tool. *hesitates* Nah. You’re right.
You’re right.
Glad to hear it. I've got a soft spot for the bad boy who has a change of heart.
You’re
kind of the black sheep of the family.
And it’s never more evident than in your book. After the events in Spark, do you think you guys might get closer? I
mean, you do realize that your brothers are only trying to protect you,
right? Even when Michael’s being a
hard-ass, it’s because he cares.
It’s funny. Sometimes I think we’re
growing apart—but sometimes I think we’re growing closer. *rolls eyes* Mike
still needs to switch to decaf, though. Or maybe spend more time with Hannah.
*wink*
Agreed. I think Hannah will prove to be very good for Michael.
While
you were avoiding your brothers, you found a friend in an unlikely place. What do you make of this Hunter kid? I really enjoyed the bromance that developed
between the two of you in Spark, but
are you sure we can trust him?
If I answer this question, can we quit
calling it a bromance? Ugh, I hate that word. It’s like we should be sharing
sloppy kisses or something. But yeah, Hunter’s all right. He’s a messed up kid,
but we all are, really. He’s been screwed over too many times. Once he figures
out that we’re not next in line to mess with him, he’ll calm down a bit.
*shakes head* Sorry...that was hawt. I was picturing...no, never mind. Ahem. Where were we? Oh, yeah...sure, sorry, I'll stop calling it a bromance.
Sure, Hunter's as messed up as any of you, but he did get you involved in a pretty risky venture. Was it the lure of the fire drawing you, or
was it saving innocent lives that made you keep doing it? Or are you just that crazy?
Sweetheart, I am just that crazy.
That's okay. I like crazy. *bats eyelashes*
You
finally shared your secret with someone outside of your family. Do you feel relieved not to have to hide it
from Layne anymore? Do you feel like
you’ve burdened her now or put her in danger, like Chris inadvertently ended up
doing to Becca?
Yeah, it’s a relief. Layne earned the
right to know. Maybe I have brought danger to her doorstep—but I can’t undo
that. And now that it’s out there, I don’t think I’d undo it, even if I could.
*wince* I know that makes me sound like a selfish bastard. See what I mean
about keeping up the assumption that I’m a complete tool?
That doesn't make you a tool; I'm glad Layne makes you that happy and that you're that comfortable with her. Speaking
of, how badly did you want to wipe that grin off Chris and Michael’s faces
whenever they compared what you had with Layne to Chris’s romantic entanglement? They really do like to antagonize you. Don’t they realize they’re playing with
fire?
*grin* Don’t worry, I can get them back.
Wait til you see what I do to Chris in Nicky’s book.
Heh. Can't wait!
I
love that the girl you fell for was the polar opposite of anyone you’ve dated
before. I think you surprised just about
everyone…including yourself. Was there
ever a moment when you tried to deny how you felt about Layne, whether to
protect her or yourself? And if so, you
knew that was never going to work, right?
I never wanted to deny what I felt for
Layne. I was too busy hoping she felt the same way back. You’re not going to
print that, right?
*swoons* But, yeah, I'm totally printing that. :0) I
assume you see a future with this girl, considering you let the cat out of the
bag and there’s no going back from that point.
But aside from that, what do you think your future holds? Think you’ll take Hannah’s advice?
Right now, I can’t see a future without
Layne. She’s helping me get my math scores up so I can go through fire school
in the spring.
*sigh* I think that's every nerdy girl's dream...a hot firefighter. Or is that just this nerdy girl?
Besides
fighting fires, I think you should consider a career dealing with special needs
kids. You were really great with
Simon. I know a lot of readers who don’t
exactly like you after reading Storm. Think your actions in Spark will redeem you in their eyes? Do you even care?
You think I give a crap if people don’t
like me? I care about protecting my brothers. I care about protecting Layne. I
care about douchebgs walking through the school hallways and beating the crap
out of some kid who can’t even hear. If that makes me a dickhead, I’m pretty
sure I’ll get over it.
Yeah, I kind of thought that might be your response. For the record, I think it makes you honorable.
Well, that about wraps it up, though I could think of a million more questions to ask you. Thank
you so much for stopping by, Gabriel. I loved you before, but I think I love you
even more now. Don’t be a stranger! ;0)
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.
He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.
Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…
the Elementals series
(click on the images to be taken to the book's Goodreads page)
And now's your opportunity to pick who Brigid writes about next:
About the author:
Brigid Kemmerer started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years!
Spirit, the latest book in the series, will be released in stores and online on May 28, 2013.
Find the full tour schedule on the main tour page over at The Midnight Garden!
Big thanks to The Midnight Garden, Brigid Kemmerer, and Kensington Teen for putting this tour together and allowing The Starry-Eyed Revue to be a part of it!
Title: Spirit Author: Brigid Kemmerer Series: Elementals, book #3 Publisher: Kensington/KTeen Publication Date: May 28, 2013 Source: ARC received from publisher Purchase:Amazon | Barnes & Noble
With power comes enemies. Lots of them.
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.
He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.
Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…
Yep, that about sums it up. After reading the rest of this series the last couple of months, I was not expecting the turn Spirit took. And I liked it! It's rare that a book can truly surprise me these days, and I am impressed.
But, oh, my poor, misunderstood Hunter. He's had a rough go of it lately. Losing the only two people who really know you is difficult enough. But then he trekked to Annapolis to avenge their deaths, and it was like Daniel walking into the lions' den. Except that it didn't have to be.
Hunter's trust issues plagued him (and me!) for the majority of this book, and I'll freely admit that I was more than a little exasperated with his inability to trust anyone. His Guide training has taught him never to trust anyone and to use everyone. That first bit isn't hard for him at all, but he does have some trouble with the latter. And then he meets Kate, his perfect counterpart. This girl is even less likely to trust people, though she's not above doing what she has to in order to get what she needs or wants.
I like that despite everything that's happened, Hunter remains in the forefront. I knew he was getting his own book when I started the series, but I thought that after this, he'd fade into the background. But none of these Elementals are bit players, and I should have realized that Hunter's role as a Fifth would always be important. What's even more interesting, though, is that the Merricks won't let Hunter fade away either, even if he's hell-bent on not trusting them.
Sure, the bromance between Gabriel and Hunter has fizzled after the realizations we were left with at the end of Spark. But the awesome, sometimes over-bearing Michael really steps into his role as guardian in this book, and when everyone else is ready to write Hunter off, he takes the poor guy under his wing. I know this is Hunter's book, but man, Michael really shined in it. I sometimes forget how young he really is, that he's only five or six years older than the twins. But in Spirit, he reminded me of why I liked his character so much in Elemental and why I was willing to give this series a chance in the first place.
I feel like this is the PNR series I've been waiting my whole life for. It's not perfect, but it's so much freakin' fun that I don't care about those slight issues. I just know that I can't get enough of these boys, er, books...I only wish that I didn't have to wait so long for Nicky and Michael's books!
Rating:
***Stop by tomorrow for my stop on the Spirit Blog Tour hosted by The Midnight Garden! I'm interviewing Gabriel!!! This should be interesting! =)***
Brigid Kemmerer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. Brigid started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though sometimes that just makes her sound nuts.)
Brigid Kemmerer finds the time to write somewhere between caring for her family and working at her day job, but sometimes she ends up mothering her coworkers and managing her family. Storm: The Elemental Series was her first novel.
I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
Monday, March 7, 2016
Join the Infinite Sea Readalong!!!
To fully prepare for the coming of The Last Star, we are re-reading The Infinite Sea during the month of March! If you are like me and LOVED The Infinite Sea, this will be a great way to brush up on those burning questions you have that will totally be answered by the time you finish The Last Star.
Full readalong schedule:
WEEK 1 (3/1-3/7): Chapters 1-13
WEEK 2 (3/8-3/14): Chapters 14-32
WEEK 3 (3/15-3/21): Chapters 33-48
WEEK 4 (3/22-3/28): Chapters 48-68
WEEK 5 (3/29-3/31): Chapters 69-84
I'm so unbelievably excited for The Last Star and the conclusion to this amazing series. And even though I've already read The 5th Wave something like three or four times, I'll probably still start my re-read with that book because it's just so awesome. Then I'll hurry and catch up to the readalong. =) And then maybe I'll finally get to see the movie!
Gah, I'm just so excited!!! Don't forget to enter to win Penguin's sweepstakes for a signed set of this amazing trilogy PLUS a phone call from Rick Yancey!
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
{Promo & Giveaway} The Blog Most Likely To...
In celebration of Huntley Fitzpatrick's forthcoming The Boy Most Likely To, her third novel and a companion to My Life Next Door, I was asked to participate in Penguin Teen's "The Blog Most Likely To" campaign. There have already been some great entries in this promotion, but when I thought long and hard about which superlative fit this blog best, I knew it would have to do with audiobooks. Thus, we are...
I first discovered my love for audiobooks back in 2011 with SYNC's summer program freebies, but my love only continued to grow from there. Inversely, my bank account only declined once I found Audible's site. C'est la vie. But nowadays, I probably listen to twice as many audiobooks as I actually read because I can listen all day at work, in the car, and while I'm doing chores around the house. The same can't be said for a physical books, no matter how much I wish I could read them all. That's why I use audiobooks to catch up on back-list titles, to listen to those review books I didn't have time for, and to re-read, er, listen to favorites again and again.
In fact, as part of this promotion, we're all re-reading My Life Next Door this month and then we're re-reading What I Thought Was True next month, all so we're prepared for The Boy Most Likely To when it releases in August. Of course, I'll be listening to My Life Next Door. It's narrated by Amy Rubinate, a favorite narrator of mine for her emotional performances.
I freely admit that I push my love of audiobooks onto everyone I can. My sis now listens at her desk. April, my lovely co-blogger and an all-around awesome gal, listens on her commute. And every day I discover more and more people who love audiobooks as much as I do and we get to squee over narrators and agonize together over the wait for an audiobook version to be released. It's kind of the best! :D
Also, did you know that June is Audiobook Month? It totally is! So, if you've never given them a try, there's no better time than now. Especially with a new pair of audiobooks up for grabs for free from SYNC each week!
Anyway, as we gear up for The Boy Most Likely To's release, here's a bit more about the book, and below that, you can enter to win yourself a copy:
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Series: companion to My Life Next Door
Publisher: Penguin-Dial for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 18, 2015
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy reading!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Review: Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Series: n/a
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
I love a good fairy-tale retelling as much as the next girl, but still I go into each one with some amount of trepidation. What if the author butchers one of my favorite characters from my childhood? What if the story is too close to the original to stand on its own? What if the story is so vastly different from the original story that it doesn't feel like a retelling at all? These questions and many others are what I find myself pondering before picking up any book based on a beloved story from my childhood.
No...not really. When it says a "radical reinvention" up there in the summary, it means it. "Neverland" is a beach cove. The Jolly Roger is a seedy bar. Fairy dust is the drug Jas is peddling to his fellow surfers. Jas/Hook actually might not be the villain we've been led to believe. And Wendy's brothers, surfers themselves, may be gone for good.
There were hints of the original story, as different as this retelling was, and it was enough for me to enjoy the story overall. I wish I could say that I didn't see that ending coming, but I did...no matter how much I was hoping for a different outcome. It's one of those ambiguous, WTF did I just read kind of endings, and honestly, it left me more than a little disappointed. I probably would have rated the book higher if not for that because I was really having fun with the story up to that point, confusing as it was.
Felt like I was flying in circles myself for much of the book.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!!
Whew, May was the month of giveaways here at The Starry-Eyed Revue, and so we've got several winners to announce! Let's get right to it, shall we?
First up, the winner of the Elementals Read Along Giveaway, and therefore the winner of a signed set of Elementals books (Storm, Spark & Spirit) is...
Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl
And we've got several winners from the 2nd Blogoversary Bash Giveaways:
Day 2 Prize Pack - Barrie Mac
Day 3 Giveaway - Ashley Morrow & Heather Cranmer
We've notified everyone via email, and we're just waiting for one more response. Then we'll ship out all the prizes later this week.
Congratulations again to all our winners! Thanks for making the read along and our 2nd blogoversary celebration so awesome! We ♥ you guys!!!
And look for a new giveaway coming soon!!! =)
Friday, May 24, 2013
{Blog Tour} Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer: Character Interview + Giveaway
So, I'm sure you guys have all noticed that flashing button in my sidebar tempting you with the promise of five hot guys as part of the Elementals Read Along that Steph from Cuddlebuggery and I are hosting. I'm sad that it's almost over, but I'm glad I got to experience these books for the first time with some of you!
You know what else I'm excited about? Hosting a stop on the Spirit Blog Tour hosted by The Midnight Garden! And the always delightful Gabriel Merrick is here to answer a few of my burning questions!!!
o Full Name – Gabriel Merrick
o Age – 17
o Goals – Qualify to go through Fire School for the spring semester. Stay alive.
o Likes – Layne, fire, macaroni-and-cheese, running
o Dislikes – Health food, math, when Michael is being a moron
o What constitutes your perfect woman? Have you met Layne?
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Elementals, book #3
Publisher: Kensington/KTeen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.
He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.
Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…
(click on the images to be taken to the book's Goodreads page)
And now's your opportunity to pick who Brigid writes about next:
Spirit, the latest book in the series, will be released in stores and online on May 28, 2013.
Find Brigid:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule: May 20 - 31, 2013
Find the full tour schedule on the main tour page over at The Midnight Garden!
Big thanks to The Midnight Garden, Brigid Kemmerer, and Kensington Teen for putting this tour together and allowing The Starry-Eyed Revue to be a part of it!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
{Elementals Read Along} Review: Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Elementals, book #3
Publisher: Kensington/KTeen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.
He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.
Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…
Yep, that about sums it up. After reading the rest of this series the last couple of months, I was not expecting the turn Spirit took. And I liked it! It's rare that a book can truly surprise me these days, and I am impressed.
But, oh, my poor, misunderstood Hunter. He's had a rough go of it lately. Losing the only two people who really know you is difficult enough. But then he trekked to Annapolis to avenge their deaths, and it was like Daniel walking into the lions' den. Except that it didn't have to be.
Hunter's trust issues plagued him (and me!) for the majority of this book, and I'll freely admit that I was more than a little exasperated with his inability to trust anyone. His Guide training has taught him never to trust anyone and to use everyone. That first bit isn't hard for him at all, but he does have some trouble with the latter. And then he meets Kate, his perfect counterpart. This girl is even less likely to trust people, though she's not above doing what she has to in order to get what she needs or wants.
I like that despite everything that's happened, Hunter remains in the forefront. I knew he was getting his own book when I started the series, but I thought that after this, he'd fade into the background. But none of these Elementals are bit players, and I should have realized that Hunter's role as a Fifth would always be important. What's even more interesting, though, is that the Merricks won't let Hunter fade away either, even if he's hell-bent on not trusting them.
Sure, the bromance between Gabriel and Hunter has fizzled after the realizations we were left with at the end of Spark. But the awesome, sometimes over-bearing Michael really steps into his role as guardian in this book, and when everyone else is ready to write Hunter off, he takes the poor guy under his wing. I know this is Hunter's book, but man, Michael really shined in it. I sometimes forget how young he really is, that he's only five or six years older than the twins. But in Spirit, he reminded me of why I liked his character so much in Elemental and why I was willing to give this series a chance in the first place.
I feel like this is the PNR series I've been waiting my whole life for. It's not perfect, but it's so much freakin' fun that I don't care about those slight issues. I just know that I can't get enough of these boys, er, books...I only wish that I didn't have to wait so long for Nicky and Michael's books!
Rating:
Don't forget we're discussing this book over on Steph's GR review on Sunday as part of the Elementals Read Along. It's not to late to join!!!
Brigid Kemmerer finds the time to write somewhere between caring for her family and working at her day job, but sometimes she ends up mothering her coworkers and managing her family. Storm: The Elemental Series was her first novel.
Find Brigid:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
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starryeyedjen
- I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
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