It’s Wednesday which means it’s time to tell you what I have been up to for the past week! W..W..W.. Wednesdays is a weekly meme bought to you by MizB from Should Be Reading.
What are you currently reading?
I am still currently reading Dare You To by Katie McGarry – really good book! I haven’t had much time to read with my course wrapping up as well as finishing my annual leave and being back at work. Boo. However, that being said I think I’ll be finished with this by the weekend!
Kristy is currently reading Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick and I think will be done this weekend, so we’ll both be after new reads by then!
What did you recently finish reading?
I last finished reading Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry and I LOVED it! The review was up last week. And Kristy just finished reading The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White and this review is going to be up tomorrow, so stay tuned for this!
What do you think you’ll read next?
I will be reading Born of Illusion by Teri Brown and Another Little Piece by Kate Quinn, and I know Kristy has been waiting for Losing Hope by Colleen Hooper but I think that’s a couple of weeks away yet.
What is everyone out there reading at the moment? Share your links below!
Release Date: July 25th, 2012 Published By: Harlequin Teen Australia Pages: 376 Goodreads: Add it to your reading list
Rating: 5 out of 5
Synopsis: No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.
But when Noah Hutchins–the smoking hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket–explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
Review: You know, I am going to be real honest right now. I held off reading Pushing The Limits for a while because I can be a judgmental person. There I said it. I had already made my mind up that Pushing The Limits was going to be just another steamy shallow contemporary YA romance and that was that. I am SO happy to say that I was incredibly wrong. Pushing The Limits was so much more than that. It was real, and confronting. The characters at times proved difficult and frustrating, and overall it ended up being an extremely emotional read. Expect the unexpected with this one.
Pushing the Limits tells the story of Echo and Noah, with alternating chapters from each of their perspectives. Echo is suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) due to a dark past that we find out about in drips and drabs throughout this story. Echo doesn’t remember what happened or why she has cuts all over her body, and her father and stepmother feel that therapy will help her.
It’s while she’s in therapy that she meets Noah. Noah, the bad boy. :) We like Noah. But there’s more to him than we first see as well. Noah’s parents died in a house fire, and Noah has been separated from his two younger brothers, who have been placed with different foster parents to him. Determined to get them back, Noah is trying to toe the line in order to make a case for himself.
Katie McGarry is talented beyond belief when it comes to writing characters that have their walls up and are really fractured on the inside. She is so subtle that it’s difficult to pin point one moment where we see these characters start to let their guards down, but before you know it, you’re there and it’s happening. And that’s what happens with Noah and Echo. They decide that they both want access to their therapy case files, and try to help each other get the information their each looking for to make them whole again.
Ultimately this is a story about two people who have had pretty hard lives who learn to let their guards down and trust each other. And what comes when this happens is nothing short of special.
I also really enjoyed the other characters that made an appearance in this book. Beth, Isaiah, Echo’s father and stepmother. Each of these characters had depth and a storyline of their own really. Beth is angry and damaged but very sweet on the inside. Isaiah just wants to be close to Beth and tries so hard to break down her barriers. And Echo’s controlling father has his own secrets as to why he is the way he is. The anger Echo feels for her stepmother is also quite powerful, and their complicated relationship makes for a great subplot.
I am really happy to see that Dare To You (the companion book to Pushing The Limits) is all about Beth and her story because even after reading Pushing The Limits, I knew Katie McGarry really had only skimmed the surface with Beth.
Overall this is a must read. I truly loved this story – sure there was some really steamy parts to the book, but there was so much more to this. Due to the nature of some of the themes, I would probably mark this book as being suitable for teens around 17 and up.
Quotes:
“The worst type of crying wasn’t the kind everyone could see–the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. No, the worst kind happened when your soul wept and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it. A section withered and became a scar on the part of your soul that survived. For people like me and Echo, our souls contained more scar tissue than life.”
“I love you enough to never make you choose.”
“If you’re scared, tell me. If you need to cry and scream, then do it. And you sure as hell don’t walk away from us because you think it would be better for me. Here’s the reality, Echo: I want to be by your side. If you want to go to the mall stark naked so you can show the world your scars, then let me hold your hand. If you want to see your mom, then tell me that too. I may not always understand, but damn, baby, I’ll try.”
“Because growing up means making tough choices, and doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean doing the thing that feels good.”
Thoughts: This is the US cover of Crash Into You (Good timing, I am reading Dare You To, the second book in this series right now!). I am almost 98% sure the Aussie cover will be different, since they’ve changed the covers for both Pushing The Limits and Dare You To. I personally prefer the US covers for all three so far.
I am also REALLY happy that Isaiah is getting his own book! This whole companion series is quite smart. You can read each of the books stand alone, or if you read them as a series you know a bit of their background from the previous books. I love them. :)
Synopsis:
The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.
Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.
But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.
Release Date: November 8th, 2012 Published By: Hatchette Books Pages: 528 Goodreads: Add it to your reading list
Rating: 5 out of 5
Synopsis: Once upon a time, an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.
And its snap split the world in two.
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.
Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.
This was not that world.
Review: WOW. Laini Taylor, you have done it again! You have amazed me with your amazing superpowers! Thank you for this wonderful, torturous, beautiful book!
It has to be said, I had really high expectations for this book – and that actually made me a little scared! I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone so much that I was stressed out in anticipation to read this sequel. What if I had put this sequel on a pedestal so high that it had no way of actually ever reaching? What if I had built up the anticipation so much in my mind that there was no writer out there actually able to meet my massive expectations? What if I didn’t like it because of those unrealistic expectations??? OH MY GOD!?!?!?!? And then, what if it had middle book syndrome? Could I handle that? I love this series so much – what would happen if it did suffer from the same thing so many other middle books do? OH MY GOD!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a huge fan of Laini’s and I have never doubted her ability to write an amazing book – just my own ability to keep my own expectations realistic. So basically, I had stressed myself out so much, when, I didn’t have to at all! Laini delivers! DEL.IV.ERS. (of course). There is no second book syndrome – so much happens in this book, continuations from the first book, new storylines, answers, questions, it is clearly a build up to the final, not a “filler”.
This book has a different tone from Daughter, and it is a lot darker. The tone is darker, the storyline is darker, and there are some practically dark moments within that darkness! All exquisitely written and there is always underlying hope that ensures that it does not cross over that line of being too dark.
The story is told from multiple perspectives, which whilst I found hard at first due to my own anticipation, I actually loved seeing what was happening with other people. One (and there are many) of the things that amazes me about Laini is her ability to pull you in. I found myself multiple times at the end of chapter, on the edge of my seat, turning the page so quickly to continue reading and groaning when I find it was another perspective – I wanted to know what happens next with X! But within a microsecond, I am sucked into Y’s story, I temporarily forget about X and get committed to Ys journey! It is amazing skill, especially to do that to an impatient person like myself!
Laini introduces many new characters in this book, which is very interesting to see (or wonder) what role they have to play in this and the next book. But whilst there are new characters around, the old favourites are still there – true to themselves (well mostly). I won’t discuss the journeys that they went on (spoiler free) but I will say that most of them didn’t disappoint. Some surprised me, some grew, some remained stubbornly the same, some frustrated me to no end, some disgusted me, some made me believe in humanity (whether that be a human, angel or devil). The constant intrigue of who is really friend, who is really enemy – or who will become the other. The story is a journey within itself, but so much can be taken from it. Mainly – hope.
There was some heartbreaking moments in this book – but I cannot say anything about them and keep this spoiler free. There are also some bitter-sweet moments. But it did not lack in its comical moments either – all I will say about them is that they mostly involved Zuzana – I so love her!
Laini’s writing once again is superb!!! Her descriptions are absolutely amazing, mesmerising really. I could go on and on about how much I love her ability to put words together and make a wonderful stream of lyrical genius – but anyone who knows me has already heard it (probably multiple times).
I went into this book with wanting one thing – and many people know what that is, I cannot say whether I actually got it…. But I will say I CANNOT wait until the next book! My only regret about reading Days of Blood and Starlight is that there such a long wait until Dreams of Gods and Monsters (what an awesome title!!). The final in this trilogy is not out until April 2014 – which makes me extremely sad and I am literally am wishing my life away until then, but I just know it will be worth the wait!
There are only 3 things that would make my life complete right now:
1. For Jim (Laini’s husband) to do a graphic novel version of this series – well not even a graphic novel – just a book with illustrations of all the characters, key locations, key scenes etc. Karou’s artbook even. Anything!!
2. For Laini to come to Australia to do a tour.
3. The final book in this wonderful series!!!
Quotes:
“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.
And its snap split the world in two.”
“And yet… the only hope is hope.”
“Light coursed through Karou and darkness chased it-burning through her, chilling her, shimmer and shadow, ice and fire, blood and starlight, rushing, roaring, filling her.”
“As long as he had life, who deserved it so little, he would use it, wield it, and do whatever he could in its name, even if it was not, was never, enough”
“A dream dirty and bruised is better than no dream at all.”
“The pair of them were again in the eye of a storm of misery – their world was a storm of misery and they were caught in its center, in the deceptive stillness that had allowed them to forget, once upon a time, that all around them was a stinging whirl of hatred that would catch them – it was everywhere and everything and they’d been fools to think they could leave their small safe place and not be caught in that vortex like every other living creature in Eretz.”
Thoughts: This series is up there with the best YA covers in my opinion. They’ve all been really consistent and match really nicely with each other! I loved Incarnate but haven’t yet read Asunder (I will though!). I have until next year though (Probably around January based on the other two releases) to catch up before Infinite comes out. Gorgeous!!!
Synopsis:
DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.
FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.
CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.
With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.
Good evening!! I haven’t done a STS post for a couple of weeks and so the books I am sharing today are two weeks worth – I’ve had some quiet weeks! Kristy is currently enjoying sunny Queensland, so when she’s back I’ll start including her books in these posts too. :D
Stacking the Shelves is bought to you by Tynga from Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
Thanks so much to Harlequin Teen for this ARC copy of Indelible. I absolutely love this cover, it’s stunning! Due for release on July 30th, this book has been receiving some really great reviews!! Looks like a great read.
Some things are permanent. Indelible. And they cannot be changed back.
Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.
Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future…and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.
Somewhere between reality and myth lies… THE TWIXT
I am so pumped to read Dark Triumph. Grave Mercy was such an incredible read – complex but rich, and I fell in love with the characters. I am really looking forward to the next installment in this story.
Sybella’s duty as Death’s assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?
Thank you to Harper Collins for this ARC copy of Asylum! I am really intrigued by this book, it looks dark (right up my alley!) and in the same fashion of Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children with the images (it is a photo-novel). This will be out in August.
For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it’s a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.
As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it’s no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.
Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux’s teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.
I received this one as an ARC from Edelweiss. I bought the first one when I was in the US last year, but I haven’t read it yet. I’d like to be able to read them both shortly – both covers match so well and look stunning. Dance is scheduled for release on June 11th.
Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.
In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.
Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.
With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.
That is all from me this week, what did you receive in your mailboxes? Let me know – leave your links in the comments section below!
The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. ‘He never says please’, she sighed, but she gathered up her things.
When Brimstone called, she always came.”
In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she’s a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in ‘Elsewhere’, she has never understood Brimstone’s dark work – buying teeth from hunters and murderers – nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn’t whole.
Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.
Review: My first review to be posted on Book Nerd Reviews will the Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Melissa is aware of my passion for Laini’s writing, and since I have publicly declared that I think Laini is a goddess, it seemed like a natural choice. But don’t worry, this was not just an excuse for self-indulgence (but hey, I’ll take it), but Melissa and I thought this would be a good introduction to my likes in books (you will have to find my dislikes in future reviews, there are none here) and to get to know me a little better. Laini is my absolute favourite author, and if I could wish one thing for all of you, it is to find your Laini – to find that one author that truly speaks to your soul.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is darker than some YA books, but yet, the main message of this book is ‘hope’. The transition from YA to fantasy is flawless, the writing is amazing, and I UTTERLY loved it!
…
“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love”
Laini has a wonderful story-telling and writing style; she incorporates uncertainty, knowledge, secrecy, strength, weakness, dark, light, happiness, sadness, torture, redemption, fear, hope and unyielding love into every chapter.
The story follows Karou, a young art student living in Prague, where she has a fantastically tiny, funny and loyal best friend, a self-involved ex-boyfriend who just doesn’t get that it’s over and she hangs out at “Poison Kitchen” to enjoy the atmosphere and to delve into her artwork. She seems like a normal teenager all around… If you can ignore the fact that she has peacock blue hair that seems to grow out that colour, her artwork is full of drawings of monsters that she insists – with a smile – are real (and what you should know about Karou, is that she never lies) and she often disappears on “errands” – sometimes for days at a time.
Karou is living two lives, half living in two different worlds, and feels that she doesn’t really belong in either of them. Karou runs “errands” all over the world for Brimstone, her father of sorts, when she is not being a normal teenager. She is devoted to her unique family, but yet, cannot introduce them to her best friend. Other than the obvious issues she faces by half-living in two worlds, Karou feels that she is missing something, but she cannot work out what it is. She wants to find this something, to find out what her mysterious family seem to be hiding from her, but yet at the same time, she desperately wants to be a normal teenager.
Karou seems to be balancing her two worlds nicely, until black handprints start appearing in doorways all around the world, and she meets a beautiful, mysterious and otherworldly stranger named Akiva – the only problem is she unsure if Akiva wants to kill her or if he actually likes her. After meeting Akiva, both her worlds start to unravel, and she has to struggle with her desire to be a normal teenage girl, her love for her family, her desire to find out what she is “missing”, and her growing feelings for the damaged person who scares her the most – Akiva.
As you get to know Akiva, your heart will break for him. He is so full of grief and anguish, he is truly tormented, and yet you cannot help but understand why Karou is so conflicted about her feelings for someone she thinks she shouldn’t trust. He will intrigue you, and his past will devastate you. And as his past and present intertwine, you cannot help but feel his complete and utter helplessness.
As well as dealing with her conflicting feelings for Akiva, Karou is flung situations that she never comprehended could be possible. As her worlds begin to collide, and destruct, Karou becomes determined to find out more about herself, her past, her family and her worlds, but what will happen when she does? And what will be the cost?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is truly original. Pure magic. Story telling at its best! The words will dance of the pages and the world that Laini has built will float around you and engulf you in its beauty! Here is a world where you will second guess the definition of angels and demons, good and bad, and make you wonder when there is no clear line between right and wrong, who is fighting for what is right?
You really have to read it for yourself to comprehend the awesomeness of this book. It is a devastatingly beautiful treasure hunt as you go along the journey in this magical, exquisite place to find the clues that lead to the mind-blowing ending that will leave you totally devastated but wanting more.
This book INSTANTLY went to the top of my favourite pile! It book pulled me in right from the start. The marvellous descriptions, the beautifully written scenes that were totally mesmerising, a strong female lead who has strengths, weakness, conviction, and is witty, scared, loyal and curious all at the same time. The secondary characters are absolutely fabulous, where even the unbelievable are believable. The writing is filled with beauty and terror, intrigue and heartbreak, but most of all – HOPE.
Now my question to you is why are you still reading this review and not reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone??? Go get the hardback, the paperback, audiobook or ebook – I beg you!
Good morning again! I have the third giveaway ready for you guys to start entering. :) This giveaway is a huge thank you to the lovely team at Harlequin Books Australia. They are allowing Book Nerd Reviews to be able to give away not one but TWO copies of this book to two very lucky Australian readers!
I don’t often do Australian only giveaways, but it’s nice to be able to give something to my local readers!
Dare You To is the sequel to Pushing The Limits, which was a huge release last year. Both books are going to be reviewed on BNR in the next month, so keep your eyes peeled for this! I know on a personal level I am really excited to read both of these books! They have received incredible reviews and have a huge fan base.
Synopsis: If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk’s home life, they’d send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom’s freedom and her own happiness. That’s how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn’t want her and going to a school that doesn’t understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn’t get her, but does….
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can’t tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn’t be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won’t let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all….
To win yourself a copy of this book, enter in the rafflecopter below. Again, and I don’t want to seem like a broken record – please note this is for Australian residents only! If you enter and you do not have an Aussie mailing address, unfortunately your entry will be void.
Entries close on June 20th at 6pm AEST. Good luck readers!! x
Good morning readers!! I promised you ANOTHER giveaway and here it is! Another International giveaway and so many books to choose from this month – June is an awesome month for YA as well as for me personally since tomorrow is my birthday…. eeee! :P
If you follow my site, you’ll know that each month I do a giveaway like the one. So in true BNR style in June, two lucky winners will win one of the books of their choice below. You can choose from the following June releases:
You can enter via the Rafflecopter widget below! You have all month, until June 30th so enter now and come back later to get even more entries for tweeting!
Good afternoon! How’s everyone doing? I am sick with a head cold right now… boo! But I am still on a high after the amazing night I had last night at the Waurn Ponds Library as a part of Reading Matters which is a State Government initiative all about YA! This post will be long – I’ll be recapping last night’s discussion!
Last night Gayle Forman (OMG!) and Aussie YA authors Myke Bartlett and Vikki Wakefield made an appearance to discuss their books and answered all kinds of questions. I did my best to take notes, so below is a summary of the topics discussed and what each author had to say. I also hung around and got to have a chat with Gayle and Myke who were both really lovely.
The evening started with our host Adele Walsh asking Vikki, Myke & Gayle different questions. Below is a recap of this discussion to the best of my abilities. This is a bit of a mind dump, since I’ve taken short notes, so please excuse any jumping to and fro!
Adele asked each of the authors to tell us a bit about the books they’d written. Here’s what each had to say about their books:
Vikkitold us about All I Ever Wanted, and how Mim wants to escape her life as she knows it. Her mother is drug addicted and Mim comes from a disadvantaged background but is determined to get out. It’s ultimately a book about belonging. Vikki also wrote Friday Brown.
Myke wrote Fire In The Sea, which is set in Perth (Where Myke used to live before moving to Melbourne) and in his own words is a Hollywood avengers style story. There’s a minataur and undead mermaids, and mythical creatures but in a very realistic setting.
Gayle said that If I Stay was not her debut novel but it was the “first anyone has read” of her work. Her previous books weren’t successful before this, but she persisted. The second book in this duology was Where She Went. And her newest book is Just One Day which is also going to be a part of a duology with Just One Year coming out later this year (October). Gayle described Just One Day nicely saying that Allyson had one moment of defiance (by making a decision to do something she normally would not do), and that lead to a chain reaction which made up this amazing day she had in France.
Adeles next question was asking the authors to describe what they liked the best about their main characters:
Vikki liked that Friday (from Friday Brown) she was the ultimate underdog. She had no mother, no identity and on top of all of this Vikki had thrown in a natural disaster, and for Friday to overcome all of this shows how strong she was. Vikki said that she felt for kids that have a bad beginning in life but are able to come through.
Myke loved Sadie’s (from Fire In The Sea) dogmatism and her sense of morality. She keeps going. She’s lost both of her parents however she doesn’t let that destroy her life.
Gayle exampled that Allyson (From Just One Day) was probably the most real character she’s ever written. Mia (from If I Stay & Where She Went) was always very heroic, but Allyson was difficult – fans often mention to her that they just want to shake Allyson because of some of the things she does, and Gayle agreed, that she just wants to shake her sometimes too. There’s one moment in Just One Day where Allyson and Willem are in the park and confronted by some skinheads, and she was very heroic. She was crazy and brave in that moment.
All three authors have an element of grief in their books (either the loss of parents, their family or the loss of love). How do you keep an element of hope in your books?
Vikki says that grief is a cycle just like life, and her books have an element in them of starting over again.
Myke’s character Sadie is trapped in grief even two years after losing her parents, so it’s a bit of a different perspective.
Gayle says the flip side of grief is love. People can read a book about loss and feel like it’s depressing but often come away from her books feeling uplifted because even though her characters have lost so much, a lot of it is about love. In Just One Day, Allyson’s grief is more about not knowing herself – in France she was “Lulu” for a day, and she lost this.
Adele asked about what each of the authors did before being a writer:
Myke and Gayle both used to be journalists. Myke referred to himself as a former journo (which is what us Aussies abbreviate journalists to). Gayle was really amused with this and said she almost wanted to go back to journalism so she could call herself a “journo”. Myke said as Aussies, we pretty much just put an “o” at the end of most words when we shorten them (He’s right, we do! lol).
Vikki told a really interesting story about how for a while she was also a journalist but she struggled. One of the jobs she had was to drive all the way out to this ‘haunted house’ in her beaten up Gemini. The owner asked Vikki if she wanted to see the cellar since it was the most haunted place in the building and Vikki said she did. So she went down into the cellar with the owner who then said she was going to lock her in there for a few minutes. She was only paid $20 for this job! But then she was able to use this experience in her book Friday Brown, in a scene where Friday was locked in a cellar and she could describe the experience. Vikki has also had jobs writing eulogies and because of this is now the appointed family eulogy writer. lol She mentioned that a eulogy is really a short story in itself.
Adele asks Myke about being a male and writing a female protagonist in his book:
Myke said that he didn’t have to think about it at all, that the character of Sadie was there and he just went with it. It all started with the Twilight phenomenom, and Myke had read the books and thought about how he could almost write a character the opposite to Bella, and Sadie came along. Gayle joked with Myke “So are you saying this is anti Twilight fanfiction?” Myke explains Sadie as being a misfit, but where fans sometimes struggle with her, is that Sadie is actually happy being a misfit.
Vikki talked about her writing process for Friday Brown. She said she tends to stumble across the themes of her book accidentally when she’s writing. She doesn’t set out to create themes, they just come out as a part of the writing process. She wrote chapter 28 first, which was the longest chapter in the book and went backwards.
Gayle was asked if she liked her book covers:
Gayle says she liked the original cover for If I Stay, which was the light blue cover with the white branch and the blossoming flower on it. The publishers told her they were going to change the cover, and Gayle says she was upset at first about the new cover (the cover has a girls face on it horizontally as though she’s laying down) but now she likes it. It ties in with the story about Mia being in between life and death. She said she’s been ambivalent about every cover since. Says the cover for Just One Day is fine. Covers are just a marketing tool.
Adele says to Gayle that in Just One Day, Paris is a character in itself. But as she’s been asked about this a lot already, Adele wanted to ask her about the character Dee instead, and since he was such a huge larger-than-life type of character, how did she ensure that Allyson didn’t fade into the background around him?
Gayle says that Dee was post Paris and he was actually a character that she had imported from a previous book she’d written and shelved. He optimised the black sassy gay man. Gayle said she did have to redefine him quite a bit though after she adopted her second daughter who is from Ethiopia. It made her think of things from a different perspective such as how her daughter would see characters of colour, and so this was something she considered with Dee’s character. Gayle talked about the fact that lots of people have asked if she would consider writing a whole book about Dee, and she’s not sure that she’d be able to tap into him enough to write a whole book, but she did say she doesn’t feel she and Dee are finished just yet.
On music – listening to music whilst writing and book playlists:
Vikki said she tends to just become addicted to one song that reminds her of her character, and she will just thrash that one over and over until she can’t listen to it anymore rather than having a whole playlist. She said at the moment, she’s been listening to a lot of the band Garbage because they have some really angry songs. She said music is really powerful, music helps you tap into memories – some songs remind you of a smell or a memory.
Gayle usually compiles a playlist for each book after it’s written (If I stay and Where She Went both had playlists and songs listed), but doesn’t necessarily listen to those songs when writing. She said that when she wrote If I Stay, she listened to Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová quite a lot and when she wrote Where She Went, she wrote the first half in silence since Adam doesn’t rediscover music until the end half of the book.
Myke listens to a lot of instrumental music whilst writing. He likes to take the emotion from songs and link them to characters. He said he creates some pretty extensive playlists whilst writing. He said at one point “A song evokes a nostelgia for something that hasn’t happened yet”. Gayle loved this quote.
Someone in the audience asks the authors about their thoughts of the New Adult genre, especially since Gayle’s book Just One Day is almost in that age category:
Gayle explained that she doesn’t see too much difference between the YA market and NA market except that New Adult books seem to normally have an erotic element to them. She’s not sure that her books would appeal to 13 year olds, and understands most of her readers aren’t in fact teens anyways. Gayle said she’s not sure that segmentation helps (genuinely not sure, wasn’t being critical). She said she felt her books did fit the NA category age wise, but didn’t think they were like NA books such as Easy.
Myke said he would love to write a NA book with a male protagonist. He said he doesn’t feel like there’s many if any books out there with a male character in their early 20′s, and especially writing about things like breakups would be interesting.
Vikki doesn’t like the type of books landing in the NA market at the moment because they all seem to have that erotic element to them, but she does generally like the idea of having a new adult category. Might help ease some of the self consciousness people have of going to the Young Adult section instead, but isn’t sure that it would have that much of an impact since most YA readers are in fact much older anyways.
On encouraging young people to start writing:
Gayle says you should have a love of writing and love of reading, but don’t worry about feeling pressured to aim for being a published writer at 14. She feels there’s so much pressure on people today to have a plan, and to be a success but so few people become successful published writers, you just need to write for the love of it, and allow yourself to amass life experience.
Gayle says she loves Aussie YA – she said there’s a such a distinct sense of place. It’s a very strong theme in Aussie YA and it makes these books very different to other YA books on the market.
And that’s where the discussion came to an end! I could have listened to them for hours more, it was a fantastic experience.
As regular readers will know, I am a big fan of Gayle Forman and meeting her was incredible. She was an absolute sweetheart and only so happy to sign some books and have her photo taken. We chatted all things books, and I am going to be reading some of her recommendations very shortly (She’s a big fan of Melina Marchetta’s work), and likewise I recommended to her Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley which she said she’s going to read!
I talked with Gayle about her books, and how I loved Just One Day (and how it made me cry), but the ending I had a hard time with! lol She said that initially Just One Day was going to be a stand alone book, but she decided to make it a duology. I was like “Thank God for that, because you broke my heart”. haha I told Gayle that it wasn’t often books resonated with me, but hers all have, and that she’s on my “auto-buy” list which she loved! She liked my rainbow coloured nails (pic below) and took a photo of them on her iphone! lol She’s also said that she will do an exclusive interview on Book Nerd Reviews before Just One Year comes out, which I am just ecstatic about!
She was so sweet and exceeded any expectations I had of meeting her. She gave me a hug, signed some books for me, including one for Kristy as well and an extra one for a very lucky winner of the giveaway below!
Here’s some pics – L-R: Me on the left and Gayle on the right, my copy of Just One Day signed! She loved my nails. lol My copy of Where She Went also signed, and a copy of Just One Day for Kristy signed too.
Okay, and I mentioned a giveaway right? So I picked up another copy of Just One Day and Gayle signed it (I love what she wrote in it), and also gave me a couple of swag postcards – one for Just One Day and one for the upcoming Just One Year with an exclusive quote from the book on it and a hint of the setting! One lucky winner will be getting this sent to them! Below is what you will receive, and to enter, all you need to do is enter below via the rafflecopter. This giveaway is international!
I cannot even begin to tell you how pumped I am for the giveaways I have coming in the next few days. Firstly, before I talk about it – I just want to say that I met Gayle Forman tonight! Eeeeeeeeeee! She was the sweetest ever. She was one of my top 5 authors before, and now I won’t lie, she’s my all time fave. It’s awesome to meet someone and they are even better than you expected. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow as well as a write up of the discussions the panel (Vikki Wakefield, Myke Bartlett and Gayle Forman) talked about tonight.
Leading on from this – Gayle was very kind to sign a copy of Just One Day for me, as well as one for Kristy and a third copy for a VERY lucky winner on this blog. In the next few days keep your eye out for the rafflecopter (pics included of what Gayle signed!) to enter. I have decided to make this international as well, so it’s going to be huge!
Second giveaway is thank you to Harlequin Books Australia. I am giving away two copies of Dare To You (Pushing The Limits #2) by Katie McGarry. I am very excited to be reading this book myself in June, and so this giveaway will be coming in the next day or two. It is open to Australian residents only though unfortunately (or if you have an Australian mailing address). Keep your eyes peeled!
And thirdly, my standard monthly giveaway is back! Tomorrow, I’ll be posting my standard monthly giveaway with 12 new June release YA books to choose from and two winners will be announced at the end of the month.
So you’ll be seeing lots of things in the next few days! Exciting times at Book Nerd Reviews! Stay tuned. :)
Good morning! Today, I am sharing the upcoming releases due out in June that I am looking forward to reading! June is set to be an amazing month for YA releases!
Life? It’s simple: be true to yourself.
The tricky part is finding out exactly who you are…
In the holidays before the dreaded term at Crowthorne Grammar’s outdoor education camp two things out of the ordinary happened.
A picture of me was plastered all over a twenty-metre billboard.
And I kissed Ben Capaldi.
Boarding for a term in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sibylla expects the gruesome outdoor education program – but friendship complications, and love that goes wrong? They’re extra-curricula.
Enter Lou from Six Impossible Things – the reluctant new girl for this term in the great outdoors. Fragile behind an implacable mask, she is grieving a death that occurred almost a year ago. Despite herself, Lou becomes intrigued by the unfolding drama between her housemates Sibylla and Holly, and has to decide whether to end her self-imposed detachment and join the fray.
And as Sibylla confronts a tangle of betrayal, she needs to renegotiate everything she thought she knew about surviving in the wild.
A story about first love, friendship and NOT fitting in.
Peregrine Harker is about to learn you’re never too young to die.
London 1908: A secret society stalks the murky streets, a deadly assassin lurks in the shadows and a series of unexplained deaths are linked by a mystery symbol…
When boy-detective Peregrine Harker stumbles across a gruesome murder he sparks a chain of events that drag him on a rip-roaring journey through a world of spluttering gas lamps, thick fog, deadly secrets and dastardly villains.
Every step of Peregrine’s white-knuckle adventure brings him closer to the vile heart of a terrifying mystery – the true story behind the Brotherhood of the Black Death.
Weeks after his crucifixion and rebirth as Phoenix, Ash Fisher believes his troubles are far behind him. He and Natalie are engaged and life seems good. But his happiness is short-lived when he receives a threatening visit from Purian Rose, who gives Ash an ultimatum: vote in favor of Rose’s Law permanently relegating Darklings to the wrong side of the wall or Natalie will be killed.
The decision seems obvious to Ash; he must save Natalie. But when Ash learns about The Tenth, a new and deadly concentration camp where the Darklings would be sent, the choice doesn’t seem so simple. Unable to ignore his conscience, Ash votes against Rose’s Law, signing Natalie’s death warrant and putting a troubled nation back into the throes of bloody battle.
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, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But 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.
It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.
Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.
Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?
Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.
In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.
Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.
With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.
Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?
So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?
When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.
The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn’s haunting debut.
On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.
A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.
Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese’s fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.
When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive.
Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect foil.
But Isabelle has no idea her new “friend” is the hired help, and Maude’s very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose.
With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate’s friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.
Cate doesn’t want to be a weapon, and she doesn’t want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood’s schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she’ll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.
In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess’s quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.
I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.
Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.
A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.
And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.
On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they’ll both be targets.
Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.
Good evening everyone!!! May is over already – and so I have two winners to announce for the May Giveaway!
To remind you what was up for grabs this month, two lucky winners will win one of the books of their choice below. You can choose from the following May releases:
Congratulations! I will send each of you an email within the next 48 hours to see what book you would like to choose!
If you didn’t win, that’s okay… there will be another giveaway starting tomorrow. Be sure you come back and to enter our June giveaway then! There’ll be some really amazing new release YA books up for grabs!!
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!
This weeks Question:
Q: What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.
Okay so I think it’s first to say first and foremost meeting the newest co-blogger for BNR Kristy would be the highest on my list! We met Kristy this week and learnt a little bit about her – and there’ll be a Q&A post coming really soon where we learn some more about her (and possibly me too!). Kristy lives in Tasmania and I live in Victoria, so not too far away!
In terms of other bloggers, I would probably want to meet my faves – the ladies that I aspire to be more like. They would be Wendy from The Midnight Garden, because I love her honesty and humour. I’d love to meet Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner because I enjoy her writing style and the way she interacts with her readers. And also Rachel from Fiktshun, simply because her opinion pieces keep me coming back for more. She is engaging and thoughtful.
Of course, if I ever did meet any of these ladies, chances are I’d act like a goober and not know what to say. haha
It’s Wednesday which means it’s time to tell you what I have been up to for the past week! W..W..W.. Wednesdays is a weekly meme bought to you by MizB from Should Be Reading.
What are you currently reading?
I am done with my burn out/slump that I went through this month. I read a stack of graphic novels to help me get over it but I am back to YA and currently reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan at the moment. I’ve only started it right now but the world building is really unique and eerie. And I do love a good zombie read. This has promise!
What did you recently finish reading?
In the last few weeks as above mentioned I read a stack of graphic novels (geek speak for comics to you!). I read Batgirl Vol 1 (reviewed this week), Catwoman Vol 1 and making my way through Vol 2 now. I read Batman: Hush and Batman: The Long Halloween, both incredible reads (huge, but incredible). And I read Kick-Ass (If you’ve seen the movie, it was based on this graphic novel) and Kick-Ass 2 which were both really really entertaining, but definitely not YA friendly, so you won’t see those reviews here. haha
What do you think you’ll read next?
So much to read. I feel kinda terrible because I had a stack of May ARC’s to read and I just couldn’t this month with everything I was going through. So I am moving on! I’ll be reading Pushing The Limits & Dare To You by Katie McGarry (There’s also going to be a giveaway for Dare To You coming very soon – we will have two copies to give away within Australia only). I also will be reading Born of Illusion by Teri Brown and Another Little Piece by Kate Quinn. :D
What is everyone out there reading at the moment? Share your links below!
Thoughts: This is the US cover of Crash Into You (Good timing, I am reading Dare You To, the second book in this series right now!). I am almost 98% sure the Aussie cover will be different, since they’ve changed the covers for both Pushing The Limits and Dare You To. I personally prefer the US covers for all three so far.
Thoughts: This series is up there with the best YA covers in my opinion. They’ve all been really consistent and match really nicely with each other! I loved Incarnate but haven’t yet read Asunder (I will though!). I have until next year though (Probably around January based on the other two releases) to catch up before Infinite comes out. Gorgeous!!!
Good morning again! I have the third giveaway ready for you guys to start entering. :) This giveaway is a huge thank you to the lovely team at Harlequin Books Australia. They are allowing Book Nerd Reviews to be able to give away not one but TWO copies of this book to two very lucky Australian readers!
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of 
