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Cover Reveal: Jenny’s Blue Velvet by Angela Carlie

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 14•13

JennyBlue_CVR_MED

BOOK AND AUTHOR INFO:

Jenny’s Blue Velvet by Angela Carlie
Publication date: August 22nd 2013
Genre: Adult Romantic Thriller

Synopsis:

Jenny’s stuck.

She’s tried just about every occupation she can think of and will be digging out of student debt for a very long time, but has nothing to show for it. Her everyday routine feels like a prison. And her marriage? Well, let’s just say it’s been a little one-sided lately and the money she threw down on the toys from Lover’s Erotic Store was well worth it and then some.

Jenny decides her next big step is to become a romance writer. Romance books are flying off the virtual shelves, after all. This will be her big break, her escape from the prison, and a way to freedom. Self-publishing is all the rage these days. She’ll be a best seller in no time.

When Jenny makes friends with a woman named Cassandra from the gym, she instantly decides that her new friend will make a perfect main character in her upcoming book. After the first chapter, real life begins to resemble the fiction she’s writing. Her friendship blossoms, sex with her husband turns into a daily feast, and her job gets more interesting with each chapter written.

Out of the blue, a person who is a close friend with her husband and who is dating Cassandra disappears. As the mystery behind the missing person unfolds, Jenny wonders if she might be responsible for his possible death. And if she is, what will be the consequence? What has this writing business gotten her into?

JENNY’S BLUE VELVET is a dark, humorous, romantic thriller for adults only

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17970605-jenny-s-blue-velvet

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , cover reveal, promo | No Comments »

The Perils of Bookshelf Re-Organization

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 10•13

This pas weekend, I picked up the rest of my BEA book haul, and after I spent a good twenty minute just petting them, it was time to get down to business. My bookshelf situation has always been a little sloppy. Sure, there has always been a little method to my madness, but I’ve never had a system more complex than remembering where I last saw a book. So it was time to start over.

I literally emptied out 5 bookcases (I left my non-fiction shelves and my pretty, pretty display bookcase untouched) and put all my books in the middle of a room. Then I built a fort. Poorly. Only halfway through dismantling the fort did I think to take a picture of it, but I can tell you it fell down a lot and that if I’m ever going to get serious about book fort building, than I’m going to need to invest in more hardcovers.

Anyways, reorganizing my bookshelves was a pretty long process, and my system would still have Dewey shaking his head in embarrasment.

1. Missing books!
So, I have books 1-4, 6 and 7 in a series? How did that happen. I know I’ve read the book, I know I’ve held it in my hands, but I’m sitting here, with every book I own in front of me, and it’s just not here. Also, I’m sure I got a copy of Seraphina last year, but it is also not here. Have I misplaced an entire bookshelf? Or maybe I’m imagining books now.

2. Different book sizes
I know this one is mentioned all the time, but geez is it annoying. Not only is there the usual problem having ARCS of one book in a series and a hardcover of another, but the publishing industry seems intent on my having uneven bookshelves too. In that same series where I’m missing book #5, the first book is a mass market paperback, where as all the rest are trade paperbacks. Unfortunately, the only solution is to spend money to repurchase books I already own, and that’s just not going to happen anytime soon, so I try not to dwell. I kind of like the mismatched, scatterbrained librarian look for my shelves always. Having a shelf just for the uber-stackable mass market fantasy books I’ve collected over the years was also a big help.

3. Books, the most beautiful distraction
The more time I spent with my books, the more I realized just how many books I own that I have never cracked open. Books from two years at BEA, books I picked up at used bookstores, books I was dying to read, before I was dying to read something else more. So many!

In the bookshelf dedicated just to TBR books, I would guess there are at least 80 titles I haven’t read yet, but am still somehow convinced that I actually will. And that doesn’t take into consideration the ones that go shelves elsewhere due to either category or size. So many, and they all sound so awesome!

At least three times while I was supposed to be organizing, I somehow ended up reading the books. I started three books in four hours! If you’re going to tackle bookshelf reorganization, do it while you’re already in the middle of a book your loving. I figure it’s a lot like the “don’t go to the grocery store when you’re hungry rule.”

4. Parting ways
Sometimes, you have to know when to say goodbye. And this weekend, I said a lot of goodbyes. It’s hard to know which books you’re really never going to read again. I probably spent as much time debating which books to keep as I did actually putting books away, but it paid off in the end. I cleared off an entire bookshelf worth of space, which I’m sure will be filled with more books in the months to come.

The pile here will be split between the used bookstore at my cottage, and my aunts condominium library.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions on what to do with old ARCs, I’d love to hear them!

Annnd then there were six. Six bookshelves that is. One small one for non-fiction, one medium one for big books and favorites, one medium one for mass markets (mainly adult fantasy), one big one for YA TBR (mainly fantasy) and two big ones of favorites and ongoing series (a little bit of everything). I’m hoping to put together a bookshelf tour video sometime later this month to show you all the finished product! Gotta say, I’m pretty happy with it.

Now, what do I read next?

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos | 3 Comments »

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 09•13

Siege and Storm

Series: The Grisha, #1
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Publish Date: June 4th, 2013
Source: ARC
Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 – A fantastic adventure story filled that I will absolutely be rereading!

About the book: Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm. -Goodreads

Thoughts: Gotta love The Grisha! I was halfway through reading this book when I left for BEA, but bringing a book with you to BEA when you need to reserve every inch of space to bring books back, is crazy. So, I waited… and it was a little bit like torture. Where Shadow and Bone did a wonderful job of creating the world of The Grisha, Siege and Storm brought that world to life with a non-stop adventure.

It was easy to jump back into the fantasy world that Leigh Bardugo has created, despite there being a fair sized time gap between the end of the first book and the beginning of the second. Alina and Mal are still the same character you remember, and Mal is so easy to fall in love with. We get to see more of the two of them together in this book, and it’s really fun to read. Their relationship continues to evolve throughout the story and Bardugo handles the nuances really nicely.

Of course, there are some other familiar faces in this book, as well as a lot of new ones. Somehow, the secondary character (at times) seem even more fleshed out than Alina and Mal, which makes for a fantastic read as the entire cast comes alive on the page. The Darkling has to be one of my absolute favorite baddies right now.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews comment on how this book reads really differently from the first, and I can’t disagree there, although it isn’t necessarily a fault. While book one took a lot of time to buildup the world, the government, the magic, the lore, there isn’t as much of that in this book. There’s a lot more going on, a lot of new characters to get to know, and Alina does a lot of moving around, and at times it does feel a little like her story could have been told in any other fantasy world. So there is that. But it’s still a pretty safe bet that if you enjoyed the first book and Leigh Bardugo’s writing style, you’re going to love this one.

Can’t wait for book three, Ruin and Rising! Also, I just realized that there are two novellas that go with the series, so I’ll definitely be checking those out.

Purchase Siege and Storm
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository

Second Opinions
@CuddleBuggery
@Beauty and The Bookshelf
@Once Upon a Prologue

Posted in Fantasy Books, Young Adult Books , high fantasy, leigh bardugo, the grisha | No Comments »

Blog Tour: Outcast by Adrienne Kress

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 07•13

outcast by adrienne kress

Publisher: Diversion Books
Publish Date: June 4th, 2013
Source: ARC from publisher
Goodreads

Rating 4/5 – It’s official… If Adrienne Kress keeps writing YA, I will definitely keep reading it!

About the book: After six years of “angels” coming out of the sky and taking people from her town, 16-year-old Riley Carver has just about had it living with the constant fear. When one decides to terrorize her in her own backyard, it’s the final straw. She takes her mother’s shotgun and shoots the thing. So it’s dead. Or … not? In place of the creature she shot, is a guy. A really hot guy. A really hot alive and breathing guy. Oh, and he’s totally naked.

Not sure what to do, she drags his unconscious body to the tool shed and ties him up. After all, he’s an angel and they have tricks. When he regains consciousness she’s all set to interrogate him about why the angels come to her town, and how to get back her best friend (and almost boyfriend) Chris, who was taken the year before. But it turns out the naked guy in her shed is just as confused about everything as she is.

He thinks it’s 1956.

Set in the deep south, OUTCAST is a story of love, trust, and coming of age. It’s also a story about the supernatural, a girl with a strange sense of humor who’s got wicked aim, a greaser from the 50’s, and an army of misfits coming together for one purpose: To kick some serious angel ass.

Learn more about Outcase by Adrienne Kress – http://www.diversionbooks.com/ebooks/outcast
Visit Adrienne Kress online – http://www.adriennekress.com/author.html

Thoughts: Well, that’s it, I’m officially an Adrienne Kress fangirl. Yes, I loved The Friday Society, yes, I chased her down at a local book event to get my ARC signed–but NOW it’s official. While I’m not usually one for angel stories, the mystery behind the angels of Outcast hooked me right away, and the writing made sure I wouldn’t be able to put the book down.

The way Adrienne Kress approached the idea of angels, and the cult like atmosphere of this town absolutely blew me away. She managed to perfectly pull off the idyllic setting that has you looking over your shoulder every few minutes. This, combined with a realistic portrayal of teenaged Riley, and you’ve got yourself a great YA novel. Of course, I also really enjoyed Gabe, his interpretations of the “future” (for him) and the interactions between these two main characters. Witty-banter-swoon!

There were some elements that were a little too easily explained away for my taste, but nothing that really detracted from the story. The characters all seemed to accept the odd things in their lives (not even counting the angels) a little too easily, when a little more explanation could have easily fleshed things out for the reader. Overall, the problems were minor and the flow of the story made them easy to forgive.

If you haven’t read an Adrienne Kress book yet, well… I might still suggest The Friday Society to start, but Outcast is also a pretty great read. This girl can write memorable young adult novels with the very best of them, now I just need one of her publishers to give the okay on a sequel so I can dive back into the worlds she has created.

Purchase Outcast by Adrienne Kress
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Guest Post from Adrienne Kress

I have always enjoyed reading a good romance, but up until OUTCAST I hadn’t had a love story as a main part of any of my novels. I was always more interested in focusing on the adventure parts of my story, on the mystery.

And on the friendship.

You see I have been very blessed in my life to have incredible friends who are enormously important to me. Who are pretty much like family to me. So before tackling writing a romance, I first wanted to show that love and relationships can take other forms. I find sometimes friendship can be considered secondary to romantic relationships in mass media so it was important to me to show that it was just as worthy, just as significant. Further, when it came to my first YA novel, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY, I also wanted to demonstrate that female friendship can be free of the catty frenemy label that is so often associated with those kinds of relationships.

But, after having addressed all this in several books, it finally came time to give writing a romance a go.

My main goal with the romance in OUTCAST, with Riley and Gabe’s relationship, and even the flashbacks of Riley and Chris’s relationship, was to create relationships based on common interests and real chemistry. In the past I have read romances where the two main characters get together for seeming no other reason than they were fated to. And I can understand the appeal of such a relationship. There is something so compelling and exciting about there being one person out there that is destined for us.

However, I tend to prefer reading or watching relationships that build out of mutual respect. And it was my goal to create two people who not only were attracted to each other, but liked each other. Who had a good time together, understood each other’s sense of humour, and had common values and interests.

So I created people who got each other. Riley’s sense of humour is considered unique in her community, and it is Gabe and Chris who understand and enjoy it. They also are the ones who bring her out of her comfort zone, knowing that she does need a bit of a push on occasion. On the flip side it is Riley who understands what’s below the surface of both Gabe and Chris. They aren’t just the bad boy and athletic star respectively as others see them. Importantly these understandings don’t come from some magic connection, but from spending time together, getting to know each other, and communicating.

Now that I look at it, I suppose, ultimately, I was once again demonstrating the power of friendship. That the foundation even for romantic love is this incredibly important relationship. I suppose one could consider “friendship” a running theme in my work.

And, you know what? I’m quite fine with that.

Thanks, Adrienne for coming back to the blog again! It’s always so much fun hearing from another Toronto based, YA author. Can’t wait to see what you come out with next!

Posted in Fantasy Books, Young Adult Books , adrienne kress, blog tour, guest post | 1 Comment »

BEA 2013

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 05•13

I survived!!! After three whirlwind days in NYC, I am now back home, safe and sound with a pile of new books. Ooo, boy, what a trip. The first thing, I should apologize for the total lack of pictures with this post. I bought a camera a few days before I left, but had to return it due to a complete lack of actual functioning. Sad Kellie.

I opted to skip the blogger con this year, so on Wednesday night I got on what would be an insanely long trip to New York from Toronto. I was really nervous about not getting enough sleep, because I felt insanely sick on my first day of BEA last year and already had a head-cold, but I survived. So, as soon as my bus pulled up in New York and I’d gathered up my stuff, it was off to the Javits Center. I checked my bag, did a quick lap around to get the lay of the land and then headed right for my first MUST HAVE book of the trip, Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund. The line wasn’t too bad, and it was totally, totally worth it. I can’t wait to read that book!

The rest of day one was spent flitting around based on my schedule. I grabbed a lot of great books, and definitely missed a few too, but I was trying not to over think anything. Either way, I was leaving with free books, so I didn’t want to stress about the wheres and whens. If a line was too long (and there were some insane ones), I skipped it.

Other big finds from day one were The Returned, The Planet Thieves, You Look Different in Real Life, and Hostage Three.
My biggest miss was that I didn’t get Crown of Midnight (another must), but it would be dropping a few more times the next day, so I looked longingly at where the pile would have been and headed back to my hostel for a ten hour coma.

Friday! Right away, I knew I’d be passing up a couple of the items on my list. Both Kat Zhang and Richelle Mead were going to be no-go’s, although I did end up washing my hands in the bathroom beside Richelle Mead, but I was too much of a wimp to say hi.

On the bright side, I did get Crown of Midnight, Altered by Gennifer Albin and The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer, so my must have list was officially complete and I could go into day three feeling pretty good.

I stopped by the Spencer Hill Press booth a few times to say hello to all the wonderful people I work with their, and to put some names to faces as I hadn’t actually met anyone before. So that was pretty fantastic.

This is also probably the day where I had the most fun just chatting to people in lines. I know everyone says it, but you meet the coolest people in lines! Sometimes you can be in one lineup for over an hour, so it’s hard not to get to know the people around you, and there were fantastic bloggers all over the Javits center. Running into people I actually recognize and follow was so much fun, and I have every intention of twitter-stalking every person I met last week. Gotta love book people!

On Friday night, I made a trip over to visit Hayley’s (of Bookin’ It with Hayley G) hotel as she was going to be driving some of my books back to Canada for me. I cannot tell you what a huge life saver that was. I don’t have my grand total of books yet because I haven’t picked them up from Hayley, but I promise you there was no way I could have gotten those books back home on the Greyhound by myself. Hayley G is pretty much my hero.

After Hayley, it was off to central park for the book blogger picnic. The first person I saw was Kate Towrey of Midnight Book Girl, who was one of my roomates at BEA 2012 and it was fantastic to see her. I got to chat with a lot of INSANELY COOL book people, and I’m so glad I went. The weather for the entire trip was way hotter than I was expecting, so part of me just wanted to hide out in an air-conditioned building, but I eventually convinced myself that that would have been fully ridiculous!

steelheart Finally, day three! Saturday was easily the biggest surprise for me. It was power reader day (where the convention is opened up to the public) and while there were definitely swarms of crazy readers, the day went SO smoothly, and I actually got a lot more than I expected.

I think the key there was that I had given up on trying to spend time in the thick of things, pretty much entirely. I spent nearly all my time in lineups, just chatting away and waiting for the books I really wanted instead of the ones I was just mildly interested in. Some wins from Saturday were Reboot, Sylo, The Walking Dark and False Sight.

My final line of the day was for The Walking Dark, and I got a bit of a bonus in that one. I guess the people at Random House were looking to unload extra stock, so they were walking through the lineup just giving things away. I picked up a copy of The Beautiful and the Cursed, as well as Steelheart, which ended up being my first read post-BEA. Great book, so to have it just handed off to me like that will definitely be remembered as a big BEA win.

I had such a great time, and met so many great people… it’s really hard to put into words. Everything went surprisingly smoothly, and I walked away with little more than a cold and some stuff muscles. It was great, and I can’t wait to go back. Once I have all my books together, I’ll do a haul post to give everyone an idea of all the incredible books I’ll be reviewing in the next few months, but for now… happy reading!

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , BEA, book events | 1 Comment »

Blog Tour: Stars in her Eyes by Clare Marshall + Giveaway

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 04•13

stars in her eyes

Series: The Sparkstone Saga, #1
Publisher: Faery Ink Press
Publish Date: May 13th, 2013
Source: ARC
Goodreads

About the book: Burn hot and cold.

Read minds.

Disappear at will.

Dream your own death.

Welcome to Sparkstone University, where some students are more gifted than others.

When Ingrid learns she’s been accepted at the hyper-secretive Sparkstone University, she is sceptical. It’s an honour to attend, apparently, and yet barely anyone has ever heard of the place.

And everyone seems a little too happy that she’s there: especially when she meets Sunni and her group of friends. They seem to already know Ingrid. As if she was expected. Expected to save Earth from an imminent alien invasion. Like she has superpowers or something.

As if magic and mutations exist. As if aliens are really planning to attack.

That just sounds ridiculous. There’s no such thing.

…right?

Wrong.

-Goodreads

Thoughts: I’m only partially through Stars in her Eyes so far (I know, bad blogger!) so my full review will come a bit later, but I did want to take a little time to tell you all how much I’m enjoying this book so far. Not only does it combine the “magic school” concept with a Canadian landscape, but the writing and story are both so, so good. Added bonus: The school is actually a University, which opens up a whole new set of possibilities for characters and stories.

Check back soon for my full review. Or…

Purchase Stars in her Eyes
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @Faery Ink Press

Interview with Clare Marshall:

SnarkyBird: From concept to completion, how did Stars In Her Eyes take you to write?

Clare: I had the concept for the Sparkstone series as a whole about three years ago. Back then, I was thinking it would be a good story to write as a screenplay for a television series. So I wrote about three “episodes” and then put it away for a while.

After I’d published The Violet Fox (October 2012), I was looking for my next project, something that I could publish quickly to sustain my momentum, but also something that I would enjoy re-writing and publishing, something that would fit with the Faery Ink Press catalogue. So I turned to my novellas, and decided that it was time for the Sparkstone series to make its debut. So from October 2012 to May 2013, I re-wrote and re-wrote the first “episode” of Sparkstone, which became Stars In Her Eyes, had it edited, got a cover designed, and laid out the book, and presto! Here we are.

Kellie: Ooo, I can see it having been awesome as a TV show! Next question… without giving anything away, what was your favorite scene to write?

Clare: A scene near the end, with Professor Jadore (main villain) and Ingrid (the protagonist). I wasn’t even planning on having things turn out the way they did, but my characters are too clever to be in the dark for long. This will only make things much more intriguing (to say the least) for Book 2!

Kellie: What inspired you to start Faery Ink Press?

Clare: I’ve always been a writer, but as I researched alternative methods of publishing, I found that with persistence, patience, the right knowledge, and enough resources, I could publish myself, and create books comparable to any small press. Also, there aren’t too many publishers in Canada that publish genre fiction, and young adult books.

It’s taken me 5-6 years to get from my decision to start a small press to where I am now, but I think I’ve accomplished a lot in that large span of time, and I only plan to grow and perfect my publishing process—including, expanding my distribution across the country.

Kellie: What has been the most difficult thing about publishing your own titles, so far?

Clare: Definitely the distribution. People always ask me, where can I buy your books? Right now I’m in a handful of bookstores across Canada, and I’m on Amazon and Smashwords and I sell direct through my website. But it’s difficult to explain to people why I’m not in Chapters-Indigo yet (big-box bookseller here in Canada), or more specifically, why I’m not in the Chapters-Indigo nearest to them! It’s a process though. This kind of distribution doesn’t happen overnight. Because I am self-distributing (ie, I am approaching bookstores and booksellers myself) it can be even slower to get a book to where I want it to go, especially when I have so many other things on my plate. Having a distributer isn’t in my interest at the moment, as they can take 20% of the pie—too much considering for the small print runs/print on demand printing I’ve been doing, especially when booksellers can take at least 30-40% of a sale on top of that. As you can see, bookselling is more complicated than it looks!

Kellie: The best part?

Clare: Best part is setting my own schedule and being in control of the process. I enjoy discussing cover design with my partner and getting edits back from my editor. While all of what I do is a lot of work, it’s extremely satisfying in the end (and a little scary!) to create something that I hope other people will want to read.

Kellie: What has been your favorite 2013 YA read so far?

Clare: I’m still catching up on my 2012 reads, lol! Best book I read recently was Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

Kellie: What’s next for you?

Clare: I’m working on a sequel to The Violet Fox, my YA fantasy I published late last year. It will be titled The Silver Spear. I’m also working on a sequel to Stars In Her Eyes, called Dreams In Her Head.

This year I’m also doing quite a bit of promoting. I’ll be attending three conventions in Canada, and that can only lead to good things! I also hope to expand my distribution.

Kellie: Thanks so much Clare! I can’t wait to see what’s next for you and Faery Ink Press.

Find Clare Marshall Online: @Facebook @Twitter @Goodreads @Her Website

Win Stars in her Eyes

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Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 03•13

steelheart

Series: Reckoners, #1
Publisher: Delacorte
Publish Date: September 24th, 2013
Source: ARC
Goodreads

Rating: 4.5/5 – Well, looks like I’ll have to read more Brandon Sanderson books now.

About the book: Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics… nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge. -Goodreads

Thoughts: I got this book by chance, standing in my very last lineup of BEA at the end of the third day. I had opted not to face what was sure to be an insane autograph line to get Steelheart earlier in the convention, and hadn’t really given it much thought. I knew Brandon Sanderson was a great guy, and a great writer but at that point I hadn’t actually read any of his books yet. And then one of the wonderful people who work at Random House handed Steelheart to me.

I started reading it that night.

The Reckoners series puts a really interesting spin on the superhero trope, which is what made me read this book before any of the other review copies I got this past week. Something strange happened on Earth ten years ago, giving ordinary men and women superpowers, but somehow everyone who has these powers is a power-hungry maniac. Locally, the leader of these superhumans is Steelheart, who is all but invincible and unchallenged in his rule over Newcago. After only reading the prologue, Steelheart had already become an iconic villain in my mind. Cruel, powerful, and mostly unknowable. The character strength of this villains character carried through to a lot of the rest of the book and did a lot towards making book one of The Reckoners a must read title for 2013.

I fell in love with Brandon Sanderson’s writing only three paragraphs in to the book. It was that good. Now, obviously I’m a little late to the “wow, this guy can write” party, but yeah… he can write. The descriptions and action sequences are equally great, the worldbuilding is basically flawless, and this book is nearly impossible to put down. There were some sections that didn’t work for me personally but I know that has everything to do with my own reading taste, so I won’t hold it against the book in the slightest. I’m just not that interested in the make of various guns or blow-by-blow accounts of every fight. If you like that stuff, you’ll love this book. If you don’t like that stuff, you’ll love this book.

The element that will stick with me most is the worldbuilding–mainly, the Epics. Everything from how their powers work to what their weaknesses are is entirely unique from anything I’ve ever read before. I had so much fun trying to unravel the various mysteries along with the main character, David, as well as cluing into a few things he wasn’t on to yet. There is a lot of information to chew on in this book and your imagination will go a little wild playing through various scenarios and possibilities.

David himself… meh. His character is almost the only thing that comes to mind for me in terms of what could be improved here. He just never really seemed like more than an assembly of facts–bad with metaphors, likes guns, reckless. To be fair, that made it easier to just step inside the character and experience the story for myself, but I would have preferred a lead character I was really rooting for as a person. His goal is easy enough to get behind though, so this doesn’t really detract from the storytelling. David is also a little too good, but I won’t get into that as I don’t want to give anything away.

My other tiny, tiny note here is that Steelheart didn’t read like Sanderson has a complete understanding of the YA genre. Parts of the book read like “this is what young adult books are supposed to have” instead of as an extension of the story, while others seemed to be over-simplified. At times David seemed both older and younger than he was supposed to be, which contributed a fair bit to my feeling like I didn’t really know or understand his character.

Don’t let either of those things detract from your desire to read this book though! It’s still a fantastic fantasy story, young adult or otherwise. There’s no question that Sanderson fans of all ages will be picking this one up when it comes out on September 24th, and I have no doubt that readers will love Steelheart.

Read this book!

Purchase Steelheart
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository

Posted in Fantasy Books, Young Adult Books , bea13, brandon sanderson, super powers, superhero | No Comments »

Tour Stop: Interview with Debbie Dee, Celebrating The Underground Witch

Written By: Kellie - May• 30•13

The Underground Witch

Goood morning everyone! I’ve got something fun for you today :) Debbie Dee… is back! I’m always on board to work with this fantastic author, and am excited to have had the chance to interview her again today to celebrate the release of The Underground Witch.

You can read my first interview with Debbie, here. Or check out this fantastic guest post she did on the challenges of writing a series.

About The Underground Witch, Book Two of Incenaga: As the last of the Incenaga Witches, Emmeline has been tortured and forced to use her power to kill. But unlike the Incenagas before her, she has survived. With her freedom restored, she should feel safe, invincible even. After all, she has the protection of Prince Erick’s army and a power strong enough to obliterate any enemy. Yet Emmeline lives in fear for the next person who will try to control her, and no one can seem to find the tyrant threatening to claim her. Until it’s too late.

With everything on the line, and the enemy at her throat, will Emmeline be able to use her power like never before? Even if it kills her?

In The Underground Witch, the second novel of the Incenaga Trilogy, Debbie Dee delivers enough adventure, heartbreak, and suspense to captivate readers at every turn. -Goodreads

Purchase The Underground Witch
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Debbie: Hi Kellie! Thanks for having me back on your blog!

Kellie: Ebooks or physical books? Paperback or hardcover?

Debbie: I like ebooks for traveling, but prefer physical books at home. I experience so much more tension when I can see and feel how far I am into a book. As for paperback or hardcover, I prefer hardcover. I think they look so pretty on my shelves, but only after I’ve removed the book jackets. Weird, I know. But, I can’t bring myself to throw the book jackets away so I glue them on the inside covers. Even weirder, I know!

Kellie: So far in 2013, what have been your top three reads?

Debbie: Okay, this is really sad because I think I’ve only read four or five books this year, three of which were in a series. I loved the first two books in the Touch Series by Laurie Faria Stolarz, and really enjoyed Sarah Eden’s The Kiss of a Stranger.

Kellie: If you could have a sit-down with any author in history, who would you choose?

Debbie: I’d love to visit with one of the Brothers Grimm. Not only have their fairytales stood the test of time, but they have been told and retold by parents, authors, movie makers, etc. I’d love to know how they got the idea for a long-haired girl stuck in a tower, or a princess living with seven little men. And it would be fun to find out if they’d had any of their own adventures that they incorporated into their stories.

Kellie: What is your favorite thing about being an author?

Debbie: I love that I can write at two in the morning or ten at night. My imagination doesn’t have to clock in and out, which is wonderful. I love creating something that never existed before, exploring my imagination, and working in my pajamas. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but one of things that I get a kick out is being able to “zone out” in the late afternoon and people just assume I’m working out the details of a scene, when really I’m just tired.

Kellie: Where is your favorite place to write?

Debbie:In the winter I like to get cozy in my bed to write, but in the summer I like to sit at my desk by the window. I have such a pretty view that I often find myself distracted by what I see.

Kellie: What is your ultimate goal for your writing career?

Debbie: To tell good stories and have fun!. I write because I love it, and I hope that never changes.

Can’t get enough Debbie? Visit her on her website, or follow her on Twitter.

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , blog tour, debbie dee, interview | No Comments »

Review: PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

Written By: Kellie - May• 29•13

PODs

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publish Date: June 4th, 2013
Source: ARC
Goodreads

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating… monsters. -Goodreads

Thoughts: Three cheers for Spencer Hill Press! I have been so excited to read this book, and I definitely did a happy dance when it turned up in my mailbox. The concept is awesome. Although, I’ve got to say that the book–while good–wasn’t white what I was expecting. As this book is a standalone, there’s a whole lot of story packed into these pages, and a lot of that is centered on romance. It’s the end of the world for Eva, but a boy named David could make all the difference.

My favorite part, was (give or take) the first third, when the virus first starts to spread and the government puts their plans into action. I know I’m not the only one who finds stuff like this fascinating, and PODs does it really well. Then, along with Eva, we’re taken to the actual PODs. This part of the book spans over a year, during which nine people are stuck together in a small living space. I loved reading about their dynamic and how they grew as a group. I wont go too much into what comes next, but there’s a little bit of everything.

To be fair, this book wasn’t flawless. My biggest issue was the blurb–I’ve decided to follow suit and cut the final paragraph from what I posted, because it already gives away A LOT. There were also some elements that got a little too repetitive, most notably notes about sexism. I don’t know what bothered me more that Eva kept bringing it up, or that no matter what she did, David didn’t seem to learn.

Overall, for my first Michelle K. Pickett book, I’m a happy camper. I would have liked to see a little more end of the world, and a little less romance, but different strokes for different folks. I’ll be keeping an eye out for future books from Michelle K. Pickett to see what she comes up with next.

Visit Michelle’s Website
Follow her on Twitter

Purchase PODs by Michelle K. Pickett
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository

Second Opinions
@Willing to See Less
@Book Loving Mom
@Good Choice Reading

Posted in Young Adult Books , michelle k. pickett, spencer hill press | No Comments »

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