Jaime's Review of Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

From Goodreads.

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?
Patrick Carman's Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality.

Jaime’s review….
This isn’t the kind of book I would normally buy myself so when Harper asked me to read and review it I was a bit apprehensive but I said yes anyways and I’m glad I did. I enjoyed this book it was different than my normal read so it took a bit for me to get into. I felt it did start out kinda slow but when the action kicked in it didn’t stop I found myself actually flipping back to pages to make sure I didn’t miss anything. If you’re looking for a love story as most of us do in a YA novel you won’t find one here there’s some flirtation that goes on but that’s about it.


The one thing that I did kind of have an issue with was the narrator (Will) wasn’t in the heat of the action it was happening all around him to the other characters and, there’s a lot of information that you don’t find out until the end of the story. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the end but I’m hoping that some of my issues will be resolved in book 2.


With that being said I did like the book. It took me out of my comfort zone which is something I just might do more often now.  So if you want a good action read get Dark Eden! We will also be a part of the Dark Eden blog tour our date is October 17^th!


Dark Eden will be out November 1st but you can pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Also make sure to check out the Dark Eden website  and make sure to download the app for your iPhone or Android!

Enemy Within Cover Reveal

Today the lovely and awesome Angeline Kace has asked us to be a part of the cover reveal for book 2 in her Descended by Blood series. The title of book 2 is Enemy Within and the cover is gorgeous!!! So here it is with a quick synopsis below!

*WARNING: SPOILERS ahead, so if you want to avoid them, wait to read the synopsis until you have read book 1!* 

Half-vampire, Brooke Keller, rid the world of her worst enemy, only to find out the world's most powerful vampire wants her dead. And this time, she's not only fighting vampires, but a deadly disease that threatens to take her best friend's life.

Torn between Jaren and Mirko, Brooke struggles to convince her best friend to change over, keep her monster at bay, and learns her enemies are deeper within than she could have ever imagined.

Will love be enough to quell the darkness?

Does good really conquer evil?

Gorgeous right we’re super excited to read it!!!! If you haven’t read Descended by Blood yet what are you waiting for? You can pick it up at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Go now and get your copy! Also make sure to check out Angeline's website for cool stuff like a goodreads giveaway link!

Lie or Die Flash Fiction Showdown: Step 1: Submit Your Idea Now!

Here is your chance to come up with a story idea and have not 1 but 5 authors spin it into an 800 word flash fiction tale! That’s 5 different YA paranormal authors with their own style and their own creativity taking your idea in 5 directions! Where will they go? You’ll have to wait until Oct 19^th to find out.  
 

But, for now, get your story idea in! You have from Sept 29, 2011 12:00am to Oct 8^th, 2011 11:59pm EST to submit your ideas by choosing characters, conflict and abilities. Details are in the form, which is linked at the bottom of the post. Only entries into the form will be considered.

  Anyone can enter their idea (open to international) and the winning idea will win a print book of their choice from one of the participating authors. What should you enter? Well, seeing as all of the authors are YA Paranormal writers, chances are anything to do with a hot, young heroine/hero of the non-human type will spark their interest. But, so could a grotesque villain…Should it be regular old Earth or a dystopian world? Should unicorns frolic and mermaids flap about? Should there be a love triangle? YOU DECIDE!

Example: 

Characters - "Bill" - a male vampire, tall, dark and boring, prefers computers to good times, over 150 years old. "Sookie" - a female human, blond, barmaid, perky, Southern, sweet and hospitable but will resort to extreme violence when provoked.

Conflict - Someone wants Sookie dead. People she knows are being killed and it looks like Sookie is next. AND, there's a new vampire in town. He's tall, blond, sexy and powerful. While Bill may be old reliable, there's just something about Eric that she can't resist.

Abilities - "Bill" - speed, strength, can heal with his blood. "Sookie" - telepathic, good with a shotgun.

On Oct 9^th, our 5 expert judges a.k.a fabulous bloggers Fiktshun,Two Chicks on Books (Us), Magical Urban Fantasy Reads, A Life Bound by Books, and Taking it One Book at a Time, will choose THE IDEA, based purely on what sounds like the most fun to read about and announce it at Sunday, 6pm EST. 

From there, the authors will have 10 days to take the idea and run with it.

****UPDATE****

Starting Friday, 9/30, for a daily chance to win an eBook from Amazon of one of the participating author’s books of your choice, submit your idea and tweet the following:

“I submitted my story idea for the #LieOrDie event! Go submit yours!”

You only need to submit one idea, but you can have a chance to win an eBook each day through October 8th, by tweeting and spreading the word. The daily winners will be announced on Twitter.

For more details about the Lie or Die event, CLICK HERE to visit the official event page.

Want to know a little bit more about the authors participating?

S.M Reine

SM Reine is a writer and graphic designer obsessed with werewolves, the occult, and collecting swords. Her YA fantasy books, "Six Moon Summer" and "All Hallows' Moon," have been praised as "fresh and fast-paced" and "captivating." Sara spins tales of dark fantasy to escape the drudgery of the desert, where she lives with her husband and the Helpful Baby. Visit her at 

http://www.smreine.com/

G.P.Ching:

Author of "The Soulkeepers" and "Weaving Destiny" (DarkSide Publishing,) and rebel suburbanite who makes wicked cookies, kicks patootie at Guitar Hero, and thinks guinea pigs are the perfect pet. Visit her at www.gpching.com.

Tiffany King:

Hi, my name is Tiffany King the author of the Paranormal/Romance YA novel “Meant to Be” and "Forgotten Souls" and I’m practically a native Floridian. My family and I have been here for the last fourteen years and have gotten quite used to the mild winters and scorching summers. I went back to school when I turned 31 and will finish up this spring. I wrote my book “Meant to Be” two years into my degree program and put it on hold while I finished school. Of course my degree has nothing to do with writing *drat* but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to keep writing. You can find Tiffany at 

http://authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com/

Megan Duncan:

Megan Duncan, author of "Released" and the soon-to-be-released "Savor", is a lover of all things paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi and anything just out of the ordinary. She is continually fighting her addiction to chocolate and living in her overactive imagination. 

http://meganduncan.blogspot.com/

K.A.Tucker: 

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures. Asylum, the sequel to Anathema,  will be released January, 2012. Kathleen's website... 

http://www.katuckerbooks.com/index.html

Want to enter you idea in this amazing flash fiction contest??? Fill out this FORM to have your idea’s added to the voting!!!! Remember to use the hashtag #LieOrDie on twitter to help spread the love :D

Jaime's Review of Crossed by Ally Condie

From Goodreads.

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Jaime’s review….

Last year when I read Crossed I thought there was no way Ally Condie could write anything better. I thought the story was perfect and I was hoping book 2 wouldn’t suffer the sophomore slump some middle books do. So I was pleasantly surprised when I read Crossed and it was even better than the first book! One thing I loved about Crossed was where Matched was told only from Cassia’s POV; Crossed was told from Cassia and Ky’s POV’s so we got to see inside Ky’s head which made me fall for him even more! Xander is in this book as well but he doesn’t have a POV I’m hoping in book 3 we might see all 3 of them.

Crossed picks up a few months after Matched ended and you don’t miss a beat. There is much more action in this book which I was very thankful for. I think that’s why I liked it better than Matched. There was still plenty of story and with the two POV’s I felt like you got to learn so much more about the Society and the people that don’t live in the Society. I also loved the new Characters that Ally brought into the story and I feel they added so much to the story and will be a big part of the third book. The new scenery was really beautifully written gone are the Society rules and the clean sterile environments. The Carving is the main setting and it’s dirty, muddy, dusty, and breathtaking! I was thrilled that there was more poetry and symbology in this book. There’s also a pretty cool twist at the end and no I won’t spoil it for you!

If you were a fan of Matched or just want a new series to read I strongly suggest buying Matched now and picking up Crossed when it hits bookstores November 11^th!

Thanks Britney from I Eat Words for lending me her ARC of Crossed!

Also make sure to pre-order Crossed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

Jaime's Review of Twisted by Gena Showalter

From Goodreads.

His vampire girlfriend might have brought him back to life, but he's never felt more out of control. There's a darkness within him, something taking over…changing him. Worse, because he was meant to die, death now stalks him at every turn. Any day could be his last.

Once upon a time, the three souls trapped inside his head could have helped him. He could have protected himself. But as the darkness grows stronger, the souls grow weaker—just like his girlfriend. The more vampire Aden becomes, the more human Victoria becomes, until everything they know and love is threatened.

Life couldn't get any worse. Could it?

Jaime’s review….

I wasn’t sure I was going to review Twisted not because I didn’t love it (I did) but when I first started on this Journey with these characters it was way before I started reviewing books and blogging. This was one of those books/series I was thinking of keeping to myself, but when I read Twisted and fell back in love with Gena’s writing and these characters I knew it wouldn’t be fair to keep it to myself. I had to share my thoughts and feelings with you all.

If you haven’t read book one or two Intertwined and Unraveled don’t worry I’m not going to spoil anything just try not to read the synopsis above.

Let’s just start by saying the first two chapters were really strange I get it but man it was crazy! Then after those we get settled back in to the normal stuff. When I started these books I really loved Aden and I still do but, as the story has progressed I have found myself totally and completely in Love with Riley and also Mary Ann. Riley just has this sense of humor that had me giggling almost every page he was on and Mary Ann has grown into a strong character I’d love to see them have a spin off story or a novella. Aden is still the MC of this series though and he goes through some wicked changes and so does his girlfriend Victoria.

I don’t want to delve into the story much because there’s too much to spoil but trust me this is a must read if you have read the other two and if you haven’t get them all they’re worth it! I can’t wait for book 4 in this series since Twisted left us with a pretty big WTH moment!

Twisted is available now so buy it now! 

Lie or Die

Ever wonder how two authors can take an idea and bring it to life with their own style and creativity? What about FIVE authors?!

Well, the Lie or Die Event is your chance to see it in action, only better… they may use YOUR idea!

How it works:

STEP #1: Between Sept 29th and Oct 8th, you’ll have the opportunity to enter your flash fiction idea at participating blog sites. Your entry will consist of answering three easy questions to help formulate the story.


STEP #2: on Oct 9th, the 5 “judges”  will pick one entrant’s idea as THE idea that all five authors will take and spin into their own short tale, independent of each other. The entrant will also win their choice of 1 print book from the authors (open to International) and two entries into the grand prize!


STEP #3: On Oct 19th,  each blog will host one of the versions of the story idea. Readers will have 5 days to vote on their favorite one. Casting their vote will also enter them into a grand prize draw! (open to U.S. entrants only)


STEP #4: On Oct 24th, the grand prize winner and winning author will be announced.  The author wins bragging rights. The grand prize winner wins autographed print copies of:

Anathema  -K.A.Tucker
The Soulkeepers and Weaving Destiny  - G.P. Ching
Six Moon Summer  - SM Reine
Meant to Be and Forgotten Souls - Tiffany King
Released, Savor - Megan Duncan

Meet the "Judges"

You'll need to WOW these fabulous bloggers with your creativity so they'll choose YOUR story idea!

Fiktshun

Two Chicks On Books

A Life Bound By Books

Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

Taking It One Book At A Time

Meet the 5 Authors!

These 5 authors will spin the winning idea into an 800 word flash fiction tale like none other! 

G.P. Ching

Megan Duncan

Tiffany King

SM Reine

K.A. Tucker

Stay tuned for more details & entry forms go live on Thursday!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Trailer

Hey everyone! It’s Jaime here I know I haven’t been around on the blog or twitter the past week but I’m back! I normally don’t do impromptu blog posts but after being AWOL I finally just saw the Mara Dyer trailer and holy moley it is smoking hot so I had to share with you all. So here it is  and after you watch read my Review of this fantastic book that you all must go out and buy September 27^th!!!

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Awesome right? The cover is gorgeous too! On a side note Patricia and I get to meet Michelle Hodkin along with the always awesome Becca Fitzpatrick  October  9^th at Kepler’s in Menlo Park, CA we’l be sure to get a copy signed for a giveaway and take pics!

Here are links to buy it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble or go to your local bookstore and buy this book!!!!

Iron Knight Sneak Peek

Hey Everyone! We have something really awesome to share with you today! Harlequin Teen has asked us to share a sneak peak to the trailer to Julie Kagawa’s much anticipated finale in The Iron Fey series The Iron Knight! You all know how much we love our Ice Prince (he was our guy in the YA Crush Tourney) and Julie so when asked to do this we  jumped at the chance. Now remember this is only a quick clip of the trailer the full one will be on the Harlequin Teen Facebook page on September the 28^th at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. http://www.facebook.com/HarlequinTEEN

Here’s the trailer clip….

Awesome right?? Can’t wait for more? Remember to go to the Harlequin  page September 28^th to see the full trailer. And remember to pre order The Iron Knight here’s some links to Amazon and Barnes and Noble and if you want to wait until it arrives in bookstores The Iron Knight comes out October 25! 

Cold Blood Cover Reveal

Today we are here to reveal the cover of Heather Hildenbrand's second book Cold Blood!

Cold Blood, Book 2 in the Dirty Blood series, is due out Fall 2011. If you haven't already read Dirty Blood, you can download it for your Kindle for just .99!

 

In honor of the cover reveal, Heather is hosting a giveaway on her blog, where you can enter to win a signed PAPERBACK of Dirty Blood, fresh off the press with its own new cover art. The winner of this giveaway will be receiving the very FIRST paperback with the new cover art! Second prize is a set of bookmarks, one with a special wolf charm, and the other signed by Heather.

 

To enter, visit Heather's site at www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com

Now on to the cover!!!!! Trust us it's gorgeous :D here it is!!!!!

Here's a short description/teaser for Cold Blood so if you haven't read Dirty Blood don't look below just enjoy the beauty above.

Wood Point Academy is not at all what I expected. For one thing, it looks like a cross between military school and Buckingham Palace. Everyone stares, the floors shine so bright you can see your reflection in them from a mile away, and no one smiles. Unless they're kicking your butt in the process. Which happens more often than not for the freshman. Lucky for them, my presence has just stolen the spotlight, and they get a break from the daily joys of hazing.

 

At least I've got plenty to take my mind off the fact that my psycho cousin, Miles De'Luca, keeps calling and declaring his love and promising to come for me just as soon as he's destroyed anyone standing in our way. Wes isn't going to like that idea.

 

So between Miles, Wood Point's evil welcoming commitee, and the drill sergeant hottie trainer from hell, I just keep asking myself, how did I end up here?

Dark Eden Synopsis, Trailer, and App.

Hey Everyone! Harper Teen has invited us to share in the Dark Eden love! This book looks amazing! Check out all the information and the cool trailer below!


From Harper Teen- We are excited to announce that DARK EDEN, the riveting page-turner set in a mysterious place where teenagers go to face their fears will be available everywhere on November 1st.

SYNOPSIS:

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

DARK EDEN can be experienced in two ways. The series is enhanced by a downloadable app that enriches the elements of the traditional narrative through innovative story artifacts including still images, audio recordings, videos, scans, and text entries. For a complete explanation of how the app experience works, check out the video from author Patrick Carman. The DARK EDEN app is available now on the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and all Android enabled devices. 


To get a taste of what's to come, download THE ARRIVAL, the first free episode, available through the DARK EDEN mobile app in the Apple/iOS App Store and the Android Market.

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE:

https://www.facebook.com/enterdarkeden

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: 

http://enterdarkeden.com/

We are very excited for Dark Eden and Jaime has downloaded the app and she says it's awesome! So make sure to check out the trailer, download the app., and buy Dark Eden when it hits stores November 1st!