In My Mailbox #66

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.

So many awesome books coming out on Tuesday...I hope you're all prepared.  Neither my pocketbook nor my TBR pile are, but I tried not to request too many books to help out with that.  Oh, and I forgot to mention a couple of books that arrived with Boundless last week, so I'm adding those to the list this week.

For Review:

Impostor by Jill Hathaway - I really enjoyed Slide when I read it as an ARC last year, so I was super-psyched to get my ARC of Impostor last week.  I'm hoping to re-read Slide soon and dive into this one so I can pass it on to a friend who wants to read it as badly as I do.

The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise - I actually don't know much about this book, but the geek in me thinks it sounds awesome.  And I love the simplicity of the cover.  Get the app.  Get the guy.  Oh, if it had been that easy!  =)

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston - A book about a girl in the witness protection program?  Count me in.  I wanted to read Shadowlands, too.  Another great debut to add to my challenge list!

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg - This will be my first Elizabeth Eulberg read.  I actually have an ARC of Take a Bow on my shelf, but I haven't gotten to it yet.  But this book sounds so fun that I will be pushing others aside to get to it.  :)

Huge thanks to HarperTeen, Disney Hyperion & Scholastic for these awesome, awesome books!!!

Won/Gifted:

'Til the World Ends by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre & Karen Duvall - I won a signed copy of this collection of short stories from Karen Duvall!  I just finished reading the Ann Aguirre short story last weekend, and it was phenomenal.  Check out my review tomorrow!





I also got a ton of HarperCollins titles from good ole Edelweiss.  I'll showcase them next week 'cause I'm tired and itchin' to get back to The Madman's Daughter before I pass out, but here's a list in case you're interested:  Severed Heads, Broken Hearts; September Girls; You Look Different in Real Life; Life After Theft; Transparent; Parallel; The End Games; Wild Awake; Born of Illusion; and many more.  Pretty much, most of the titles thrown around at #ARCparty are available.  Not all, but most.  Which makes for very happy readers and bloggers!

You guys!  This is my last sober weekend.  I gave up booze for the month of January, and as an added incentive, my boss offered up a cool $50 if I made it until February 1st.  He had a deal going with his buddies, but only he and one other guy are left, so he needed someone else to keep him honest, or so he says.  I'll take it either way.  More book money!   :P  Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend!

The Week in Review:

Reviews:  Altered, Prodigy & Vortex (audio)

Current Giveaways:  Back to the Future Giveaway Hop & first eARC of Blurred to celebrate the cover reveal

Blog Tours/Promotions:  Blurred cover reveal, Boundless Blog Tour



The Week Ahead:

Reviews of Thistle & Thorne (SSS), The Madman's Daughter & Sanctum (audio)

Fire & Ice Blog Tour stops by on Monday -- I'm featuring Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill



Young Adult Giveaway Hop -- starts on Monday!

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Labels: in my mailbox (imm)

{Audiobook} Review: Vortex by Julie Cross

Title: Vortex
Author: Julie Cross
Narrator: Matthew Brown
Series: Tempest, book #2
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: January 15, 2013
Source: audio from publisher for review
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Julie Cross's Vortex is the thrilling second installment of the Tempest series, in which the world hangs in the balance as a lovelorn Jackson must choose who to save.

Jackson Meyer has thrown himself into his role as an agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats. Despite his heartbreak at losing the love of his life, Jackson has proved himself to be an excellent agent. However, after an accidental run in with Holly—the girl he altered history to save—Jackson is once again reminded of what he's lost. And when Eyewall, an opposing division of the CIA, emerges, Jackson and his fellow agents not only find themselves under attack, but Jackson begins to discover that the world around him has changed and someone knows about his erased relationship with Holly, putting both their lives at risk all over again.

I must say, this book is aptly named.  I'm not going to lie...this book confused the heck out of me.  Much worse than the first book.  And I was all set to not love it because of that, but then somewhere along the way, it hit its stride.  And despite still being thoroughly confused by the laws of time travel, I reconnected with the story.

There isn't nearly as much time travelling done in Vortex as there was in Tempest, but there was a lot of discussion about it as Jackson tried to figure out just how far his capabilities reached.  He's also now training as a Tempest agent, and so he's learning more about his role in the agency, as well.  All the while, he's trying to forget Holly.

I love a good story told from the male perspective, and this series is no different.  But whereas I never fully connected with Jackson in the first book, I actually felt that his emotions were raw and genuine this time around.  Maybe because he's lost so much....the love of his life, his best friend, any chance at a normal life.  But it was also in the way he approached new relationships.  It's gratifying to see that he's changed so much from the playboy he was before.  And he's actually close to his father now, whom he needs more than ever.  His character has definitely shown a lot of growth over the pages of these two books.

Admittedly, Jackson didn't make up for the lack of Holly or Adam, though.  Adam's absence was felt for the entirety of the book, but Holly did become an integral part of the story midway through the story.  Though I can't say her presence was entirely comforting.  She is definitely not Jackson's 009 Holly, but that's all I can say without giving too much away.

The narrator for this audiobook is fabulous.  As he's reading, I believe that he believes he is Jackson Meyer, so convincing is his portrayal.  He actually sounds much like I imagine Jackson would sound...young and intelligent, with a bit of swagger.  And he doesn't use a high-pitched voice to represent female dialogue, which is always a plus.

After the events of Vortex, I am even more intrigued with this storyline.  I'm really hoping the time travel antics are fully explained in book three, but even if I'm still unable to comprehend the science behind it, at least the consequences still make for a great story.  And even if I hadn't been fully on board with this book, that ending was enough to guarantee that I'll be reading the next installment.  It was a whirlwind journey, but explosive doesn't even begin to describe the ending of Vortex.

Rating:   

Be sure to stop by and enter to win your own copy of Tempest and/or Vortex (depending on your location) at my stop of the Back to the Future Giveaway Hop!

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Labels: audiobooks, julie cross, macmillan, reviews, sci-fi, tempest, time travel

Judging a Book By Its Cover #11: A Kid's Perspective on Tempest by Julie Cross

Okay, so I totally stole this idea from Sara at Forever 17 Books, who got the idea from an article on Babble called Judging a Book by Its Cover: A 6-year-old Guesses What Classic Novels Are All About.  I just discovered her lovely segment, and I immediately requested forced my own four-year-old daughter Katie to provide me with some of her own cover art artwork and then asked her what she thought the book was about.



This week, Katie gave me her take on the following book:

"I think it's about a girl jumping up to grab a boy from the rain cloud that was sucking him in.  And she just jumped and got him and pulled him to the ground."

Cover Art

Tempest as envisioned by Katie

I gotta admit, when I first saw this cover, I thought it might be weather-related, too, especially with a title like Tempest.  They've since changed the covers for this series, though...maybe because of that?

Have you read Tempest?  What do you think of Katie's guess at the premise?  Did your little darling create a work of art based on a book this week? If so, be sure to link up with Sara over at Forever 17 Books.

Be sure to stop by and enter to win your own copy of Tempest and/or Vortex (depending on your location) at my stop of the Back to the Future Giveaway Hop!  Also, my review of the Vortex audiobook will be going up later today, so be sure to check that out, as well.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Labels: cover art, judging a book by its cover, julie cross, katiebug, tempest, time travel

Blog Tour: Boundless by Cynthia Hand - Interview

You guys have no idea how excited I am to have Cynthia Hand stop back by the blog today for an interview as part of the Boundless Blog Tour hosted by Mundie Moms!  The last time she stopped by for a chat, we got serious about her books, but I thought we'd do something a little different for today's stop on the tour.  But first, a little bit about the final -- *sniff* -- book in the bestselling Unearthly series:

Title: Boundless
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly, the third and final book
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 22, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Excerpt:  Browse Inside Boundless

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfil her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

And in case you're curious what I thought of the final book in the Unearthly series, you can find my spoiler-free review here.  The teaser trailer for Boundless is below:

Since we talked mostly shop in our last interview, I’d like to make this one a departure from that, especially since I already know you won’t give us any hints about Boundless. :)  So, let’s find out more about you. We’ll start with the basics, the easy stuff, and then delve a little deeper and find out what kind of reader you are, if that’s alright with you...since we already know what an awesome author you are. :D

What is your favorite color? 

It changes, but mostly I am attracted to purples and blues. Which has worked out well with my book covers.

Yes, it has!  And what pretty covers they are...they always depict really pretty scenery, besides the girl in a beautiful dress.  =)  What is your favorite season or time of year? 

I love that part of the year that is between seasons, when winter gives way to spring or when summer fades into fall. The changing part.

I loved your descriptions of the weather and scenery in the Unearthly series.  I have a habit of always wishing it were the next season as soon as I get tired of the weather.  Do you have any bad habits? 

Two that come to mind straight-away. Nail-biting, which I do when I am nervous or stressed. And being a know-it-all, which I find that I also do when I am nervous or stressed. Two habits I would very much like to break!

Nothing wrong with being a know-it-all in my book.  You'd come in handy when traveling.  Where is the most amazing place you’ve ever visited? 

Delphi, Greece, in a snowstorm. Knossos, Crete, eating a fresh orange. Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. Hemingway's writing room in Key West, Florida. Or standing in front of the Grand Teton mountains at sunset. I'm a traveler by nature. It's hard to pick just one, as I find magic in all sorts of places.

Wow...you've been to some fabulous places, and I bet you've eaten some equally fabulous meals in those places.  What is your favorite comfort food? 

I like Hershey's Symphony bars with toffee, as a chocolate rescue. And I make this yummy cheesy vegetable soup, for days I just don't feel very good and want to get warm and cozy.

Now for some deeper questions.  Who is the person you’d most like to meet, living or not? 

Jane Austen would be a hoot, I think. Hemingway, who I find both irritating and fascinating. As for living people, I think I would gravitate toward authors I admire but haven't met in person yet: Maggie Stiefvater, John Green, Lauren Oliver.

Speaking of all of those equally awesome authors you'd like to meet, who is your favorite author? 

No way I can go with only one. See above.

Okay, okay, it would be hard for me to pick just one, too.  What is your favorite book?

I'd sooner pick a star in the heavens than a favorite book, but I have a few staples I keep coming back to, starting with To Kill A Mockingbird, which was probably the first book where I noticed the language as much as the story. Such a lovely voice, TKAM.

I loved To Kill a Mockingbird, but I'm probably due for a re-read...it's been awhile.  Who is your favorite heroine and why?

Again, I find it impossible to pick an out and out favorite, but one that comes instantly to mind is Evie, from Kiersten White's Paranormalcy series. Because I love a girl who can kick butt and crack jokes at the same time. Which harkens back to another fave heroine of mine: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Ah, good ole reliable Buffy.  :)  I was more a fan of the show than the movie, myself.  Do you usually enjoy movies based on books? Do you hope that your books will one day be made into movies? 

Yes, I usually love to see movies that are based on books, although I often leave the theater feeling a tiny, tiny bit empty, because the movie couldn't possibly live up to what it was in my head. But, having said that, I'm pretty easy to please with movies. It would be amazing to see my books as movies, a final step in the process of having others share what at first was only a bunch of fragments and images in my head. So cool.

Aside from the love triangle, which we’ve previously discussed, what are some other tropes you’d like to see die a slow and painful death? 

This is going to sound ironic considering how I just professed love for Buffy, but I am growing weary with the "heroine who's just as tough as a man" characters. Don't get me wrong-- I loved Katniss, but these days I kind of yawn when I open a book to find a character who is clearly trying to be defined as "strong" because she can wield a gun (or crossbow or sword or whatever) and hates the color pink and doesn't know how to express her emotions to a guy. I feel a lot of friction with the idea that women have to behave "like men" to be considered strong. I'm also tired of bad, dysfunctional families in fiction: uncaring, absent parents, orphans, etc. I understand why authors do this (if the adults aren't present, it makes the teen character accountable for themselves and responsible for solving their own problems, which is better for story-telling) but I also think that if you cut out the family as a writer you are going to miss out on one of the most powerful relationship dynamics there is.

I completely agree about the absentee parents in YA fiction.  In fact, I just did a post on this.  So, do you prefer to read a book all in one sitting or pace yourself to get the full effect of the story?

I read hungrily and greedily, and I hate to put a book down in the middle.

I'm sure many of your readers feel the same, myself included.  Now that you’re a bestselling author, how many books do you think you read a year? How has this number changed after your success? 

I read about 60 books this year, which is about the same, give or take 5-10 that I've read for the past few years, maybe a little more, since I have more money these days to spend on books. My "success" hasn't changed the way I approach reading. I like to think of myself as a student, and, in many ways, still a beginner to this writing gig, and also a true lovers of stories, so I read books in order to study and grow, and, at the end of the day, to immerse myself in another world for a little while.

Ha, I like that..."since I have more money these days to spend on books"...and I'm glad to hear that being an established author hasn't slowed your reading down at all.  Since you can still buy and read all the books even though you're a fancy author lady, which 2013 release are you most looking forward to? 

The finale to Anna Carey's EVE series (RISE), the finale to Veronica Roth's Divergent series, the finale to Moira Young's Blood Red Road series. Sheesh. A lot of finales.

I know!  I'm so sad to see sooo many of my favorite series end this year, including yours!  Alas, all good things must come to an end, right?  And since it’s that time of year, I have to ask. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Care to share with us? 

I did resolve to write two full novels this year. This may kill me, as I'm not very fast, as a writer, but I am aiming for two!

Wow!  That's an incredible goal!  Thanks for stopping by today, Cynthia!  I wish you all the success and accolades you deserve!  

About the author:

Cynthia Hand grew up in southeast Idaho (very near the Wyoming border). Currently she lives in southern California with her husband and two small children. She teaches courses in creative writing at Pepperdine University. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Unearthly series with HarperTeen: UNEARTHLY, published in 2011, HALLOWED published January 17, 2012, and BOUNDLESS, due out in January 2013.

You can find Cynthia on: her Blog | Twitter | Facebook | HarperTeen | GoodReads

I hope you learned something new about the author today!  Be sure to stop by I Read Banned Books today, as well, because Jen has a guest post from Cynthia for her stop.  And be sure to check out all of the other stops on the tour here...some have giveaways!  Special thanks to Mundie Moms, HarperTeen and Cynthia Hand for allowing me to be a part of this tour!

Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

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Labels: author interviews, blog tour, cynthia hand, harper-collins, mundie moms, unearthly

Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Title: Prodigy
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend, book #2
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Source: ARC gifted by Jen at YA Romantics
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

I was so excited to return to the world Marie Lu created in Legend that I may or may not have completely overlooked forgotten the trouble June and Day were facing when the book ended.  And when I opened Prodigy, there it was, glaring at me.  Here we go again!

As fast-paced and keep-you-on-your-toes-crazy as Legend was, Patriot was even more so.  I felt like I didn't even have a second to breathe as life-altering decisions were being made and a new facet of the war was unfolding.  We didn't see much of the battle in Legend, and honestly, we still don't witness much of it in this sequel.  What we do see is a war at home, a war between the people:  between the Patriots and those still loyal to the Republic.  And this is where June must make a choice.  After the events that transpired in Legend, it is clearer than ever that Day will do whatever he can to save his younger brother and take down the Republic.  But June -- though she has suffered losses just like Day at the hands of the Republic -- still finds it difficult to align herself with the Patriots, especially when their newest target is the new Elector, a young man she hardly knows but thinks is capable of bringing about great changes.

One of the things I praised Legend for was the great characterization, how genuine the characters felt.  How, even if the transitions between June and Day's points-of-view hadn't been easily identifiable with the change in color and type-face (or the names heading up each chapter), I still would have been able to mark the difference between each voice because each was singular to the character it represented.  I think that the characters are even more themselves in Prodigy.  They are no longer pretending to be other; they just are who they are.  Day is damn near enthusiastic, once he learns of the Patriots' plans to assassinate the young Elector.  This government has taken almost everything from Day and he is ready to exact his revenge on everyone involved with it.  June, on the other hand, senses something off about the Patriots' leader, but try as she might to call Day's attention to it and convince him that there might be another way to save his brother, she actually ends up causing him to second-guess her loyalty to the cause.

And herein lies the problem:  there is such a disconnect, such a lack of communication between Day and June in this novel, that I almost began to wonder if they ever truly loved each other to begin with.  Day lets the disparaging words of Tess and others grow his ever-increasing doubt in June's loyalties.  And it doesn't help that June has been sent back to the Republic as a double-agent to lure the Elector into a trap.  But even in the beginning of this book, it felt like something was missing between the pair.  Maybe it's because I read Legend over a year ago that things feel all wrong, but doesn't June rescuing Day kind of negate everything else that happened?  

Apparently not.  But even if it did, you'd better believe that Tess won't let Day forget what June did, what hand she played in the events that led up to Day's capture.  There's the potential here for a love square, but thankfully, the author doesn't let the characters get all angsty on us.  Okay, well, they get a little angsty, especially when June and Day start internally reflecting on how they can ever work out, being from two different socioeconomic backgrounds as they are.  And the differences between their worlds, their classes, is even more glaringly obvious now than it ever was before.  But their introspection is necessary to show just how much each character has grown in such a short time.  June won't make the same mistakes, won't trust so easily, and Day, well, he's obviously still learning to trust June.

It's a crazy world they live in, but they each just want to make it a better place for everyone and reunite the country.  It's through their eyes that we start to see how the decline of North America came about in the first place.  For those who complained that the world-building in Legend was sub-par, I think you'll be fairly impressed with what the author has done in Prodigy.  Not only is there a history lesson in there, courtesy of the new Elector Primo, but we get a brief glance at how the Colonies are actually faring.  That in itself was shocking.

What was even more shocking was the revelation made at the end of the book.  I don't know if I'd call it a cliffhanger, but it is definitely a game-changer, that's for sure.  I don't think I breathed for the last 60 pages or so of this book.  I knew better than to expect any kind of happy ending since this is only the second book in a planned trilogy, but damn, Marie Lu really goes for the heart.  I know, I know...should've seen it coming after what she put us through in Legend.  And I suppose I did...there were subtle hints throughout the novel, but I turned a blind eye to them, in hopes that if I didn't acknowledge them, nothing bad could happen.  Oh, what a fool I was.

In summation:  lots of trust issues, a civilization on the brink of revolution, and a bit of angsty teenage romance to round out the whole shebang.  And an ending that could quite possibly leave you in tears.  Possibly.  But I like to remain optimistic, and if these first two novels have taught me anything, it's that Marie Lu is full of surprises.  Now, whether they're the good kind or not, I can't say.  But I can hope.  I'll be wishing on every falling star I see for an early copy of the final book in this series so that I don't have to wait in agony for another year.

Rating:  

Favorite Quote:

"Well enough," I reply.  "Remember, you're drunk.  And happy.  You're supposed to be lusting over your escort.  Try smiling a little more."

Day plasters a giant artificial smile on his face.  As charming as ever.  "Aw, come on, sweetheart.  I thought I was doing a pretty good job.  I got my arm around the prettiest escort on this block -- how could I not be lusting over you?  Don't I look like I'm lusting?  This is me, lusting."  His lashes flutter at me.

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Labels: book trailers, dystopian, favorites, legend, marie lu, penguin, post-apocalyptic, reviews