Marked (Servants of Fate #1) book review

About the book:
In a broken landscape carved by environmental collapse, Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry risks life and limb on the front lines of a fragile and dangerous city. What most don’t know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are “Marked” by Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to either eternal bliss or unending fire and pain.

Unaware of Cacy’s other life, Eli finds himself as mesmerized by his fierce and beautiful partner as he is mistrustful of the influential Ferry clan led by the Charon—who happens to be Cacy’s father. Cacy, in turn, can no longer deny her intense attraction to the mysterious ex-Ranger with a haunted past. But just as their relationship heats up, an apparent hit takes the Charon before his time. Shaken to the core, Cacy pursues the rogue element who has seized the reins of Fate, only to discover that Eli has a devastating secret of his own. Not knowing whom to trust, what will Cacy have to sacrifice to protect Eli—and to make sure humanity’s future is secure?

Review:
The book opens with Cacy's first trip into the portal (veil). Then it flashes years into the future. Eli and his sister and changing cities for new jobs in a dystopian world. Dangers are all around them, but Eli's sister's research causes discord for the Ferrys and Ker. This puts them in even more danger. 

Though I've red stories about reapers, ferrys, psychopomps, etc.,  I enjoyed how Sarah Fine explained their role in her fictional world. Not only did Fine describe their roles, but she took readers into the veil to actually experience it. Even better, readers experience the veil from Cacy's point-of-view as well as Eli's. Cacy's knowledgeable about the veil and knows what dangers are there, while Eli accidentally found his way there. He did not know where he as the first time, and it was fun to see how he interpreted the new dimension/world.

This is definitely geared towards adults. There are several scenes where author Sarah Fine builds the sexual tension between the characters before anything formally happens with Cacy and Eli. It was nice to see a guy turn down the advances of a girl he really likes instead of taking the first opportunity to get with her. It made me like and really respect Eli. However, since this is an adult paranormal romance book, there is sex in it. It's done tastefully and isn't too vulgar.

There were basically three sections of the story. Eli finds out what Cacy is. He accepts that he loves her for who she is, but has to make a difficult choice. (Can't tell you what that is because it would be a spoiler!)  He makes the choice and has to live with the consequences.

There are traitors in the book. There are rouge Kers (the creatures that actually "mark" people for death). He/she/they have marked people before their time. There are traitors in the psychopomps organization too. Though some are discovered in the book, not all are. Readers will have to wait at least until the next book, Claimed, to find out more.

The book was well written. It drew me in and gave a good mix of description and action. The uniqueness of the plot made me want to keep reading. It isn't just a romance story. It has a ton of action and some mystery to it.


About author Sarah Fine:

I’m the author of several books for teens, including Of Metal and Wishes (McElderry/Simon & Schuster) and its sequel, Of Dreams and Rust (coming in August 2015), and the Guards of the Shadowlands YA urban fantasy series (Skyscape/Amazon Children’s Publishing).

I’m also the co-author (with Walter Jury) of two YA sci-fi thrillers published by Putnam/Penguin: Scan and its sequel Burn (which will be published in 2015).

My first adult urban fantasy romance novel, Marked, will be published in January 2015 by 47North/Amazon Publishing, with the sequel, Claimed, coming in March 2015.

When I’m not writing, I’m psychologizing. Sometimes I do both at the same time. The results are unpredictable.

Find Sarah:  Goodreads   Website   Facebook   Twitter   Tumbler   Pinterest

Dead New World cover reveal & excerpt!

I'm so excited today to be a part of the cover reveal for Dead New World by Ryan Hill, an action dystopian that releases October 13th by Curiosity Quills Press. Check out the cover, an excerpt and don't forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway!

About the book:

Zombies aren’t mindless anymore.

Before the world fell into chaos, the undead existed only in the imagination. Now, more of them walk the earth than living. Zombies move about freely, while humans entomb themselves inside concrete barricades to stay alive.

All that, while the leader of a powerful cult - known only as Reverend - becomes the next threat to the rebuilding United States. Believing zombies to be God’s latest creation, making humanity obsolete, he wants to give every man, woman, and child the chance to become one. With his combined army of humans and zombies, he may well get his wish.

Best friends Holt and Ambrose went up against the Reverend once. Holt lost a foot and a zombie bit Ambrose…though he survived the virus, only to become a human-zombie hybrid, reviled by the living and unwelcome among the dead. When the Reverend kidnaps the woman Holt loves, the race is on to save her from a fate worse than death.

Add on Goodreads 

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway!

Excerpt:
I tried to get a good look at him, but the lack of light made it impossible. “They said most people don’t last a day after being bitten. You’ve made it four. I guess I should congratulate you.” Surviving this awful disease longer than most. What a terrible silver lining. I bet he wished the virus would get it over with and turn him.

“Yeah, lucky me.” Ambrose coughed into his bed sheets. “Maybe they’ll give me a prize, like some bacon or something.”

“What… what does it feel like?”

Ambrose shrugged. “Kind of like being sick. Had a fever at first, then some numbness over part of my body.”

“Is it getting any worse?”

“No.” Ambrose sniffed. “Some parts still feel like me, others… like these gray parts, nothing.” He pointed at his arm where the skin had turned a sickly gray. “They’re dead, I guess.”

Nancy loudly cleared her throat. “We need to get you back to your room. They patrol this place pretty regularly, especially when we have… guests.”

I nodded to her, then turned my attention back to Ambrose. “I have to go. I’m sorry. I wish it was me in there, instead of you.”

Ambrose stepped up to the window. The light from the hallway revealed his face. For the first time, I got a glimpse of what his loyalty to me cost him. I froze, unable to take a breath for a long beat. One of his eyes remained normal, but the other took on that awful redness. Patches of dead skin were all over his face. The guilt rising up seemed almost too much to bear. What kind of hell had I sent my friend to?

About author Ryan Hill:
Growing up, Ryan Hill used to spend his time reading and writing instead of doing homework. This resulted in an obsession with becoming a writer, but also a gross incompetence in the fields of science and mathematics. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Ryan has been a film critic for over five years. He lives in Raleigh, NC, with his dog/shadow Maggie. Ryan also feels strange about referring to himself in the third person.

Find him at:   www.ryanhillwrites.com   Facebook   Twitter @J_Ryan

The Hunt for Tomorrow Scavenger Hunt

 
THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW 22 AUTHORS. 3 DYSTOPIAN BOXED SETS. 1 MASSIVE EVENT. A virtual scavenger hunt through twenty-two fictional dystopias. Friday, July 18 at 6:00pm _(EST) - Sunday, July 20 at 6:00pm _(EST).

Join THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW, an on-line scavenger hunt, and embark on a virtual odyssey through twenty-two dystopian futures. Become an intrepid scavenger and solve clues at each of the dystopian author stops as you navigate your way to the finish line where you’ll be entered into a random draw for the Grand Prize. For each correct answer collected along the way you’ll get an additional chance to win.

During The Hunt, the authors will offer up their own exclusive material, sneak peeks, contests, and giveaways at their individual stops on The Hunt, giving all scavengers multiple chances to win bonus prizes. The twenty-two participating indie authors include best-selling, award-winning and emerging writers from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom who all have books included in three dystopian boxed sets - - What Tomorrow May Bring, A Taste Of Tomorrow, and Shattered Worlds.

In a unique collaboration of story-telling, nineteen of the authors will write a progressive short story over nineteen days following The Hunt. The Grand Prize Winner of The Hunt For Tomorrow will name characters and contribute the title for this dystopian world, and all participants in The Hunt will receive an advance copy of the story for an exclusive period before it is made available as a free download.

The Grand Prize also includes a signed copy of books included in the boxed sets, an ebook of all the boxed sets, and the first copy of this one-of-a-kind progressive story.

THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW begins at http://huntfortomorrow.blogspot.com on Friday, July 18 at 6:00pm _(EST) and ends on Sunday, July 20 at 6:00pm _(EST). The Hunt is on for one weekend only, although there is no time-limit for completing the course. The Hunt is open to scavengers around the world; there is no cost to enter and one grand prize winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries.

Go to THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW for details and the full list of participating authors.
JOIN THE HUNT. JULY 18-20.  

     
Giveaway:
Enter to win $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ends 7/20/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

First Light

About the book:
On the harsh militant world of Sindorus, where even colours are considered sinful, three people living very separate lives are about to have those lives change forever. As deceptions are torn away, and ancient secrets brought to light, they each must struggle to find the missing pieces to the puzzle...answers that will unlock their true destiny.

Idrith, bitter and trapped in a life he never chose, is the first to discover his own fear-filled mystery. Obsessed with finding the truth behind the lies he turns to the one person he has always tried to avoid -- the mysterious pilgrim, Harmion.

Aztar's military promotion comes with an unexpected burden. A serious problem threatens the security of the entire Northerner regime and it seems that their only hope may lie in the hands of someone he was raised to think of as his enemy and inferior. Each day they struggle together to find a solution, but at night Aztar struggles alone as the secret he's kept hidden since childhood returns to torment him.

In a world where most women have no control over their lives Daen was allowed to grow up unrestricted and far better educated than normal. Now her father's health is failing and the running of their family estate lies in her hands...and with it the security of everyone she loves. Knowing that desperate situations call for courageous action, Daen is about to take a step that will change all their lives forever.

Find the book: Amazon   Goodreads   Shelfari

Review:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Books with settings in other worlds have so much potential. I decided to read this one because of how colours were/are a bad thing. How can this be? Aren't colours all around us? I was intrigued. I just hoped that the author could write a satisfying story about it. To my delight, the plot was well thought out and it was very believable. I loved how the characters shifted how they saw the world when any illegal colours were brought into their lives. It was as if they went from seeing a tree in black and white to actually seeing it as various shades of greens and browns.

In Frost's world, owning anything colorful can land you in serious trouble. For example, pictures in your home can be pencil or charcoal sketches, but a colorful painting of a bowl of fruit is illegal. But you're not limited to just paintings. Colorful outfits and even stained glass are illegal. If you're caught with any sort of coloured item, you could do some serious jail time, or even be sentenced to death. Why is this? Because colour can corrupt the mind.

Setting up the story takes time so be patient in the beginning. Frost has to introduce readers to each main character and explain their back stories. Then Frost begins weaving in the seemingly innocent pieces of the plot that will be tied together in the end. First Light is a complex story that is well written and executed. This is made more impressive by the fact that this is Frost's first book.

There are three main characters, and four other characters that are all tied together. The three main characters--Idrith, Daen, and Aztar--each have parts of the story told through their point of view since they live in different areas of Sindorous. This was a great decision by Frost. They each interact with Harmion who helps move the story along. In fact, readers will hate Harmion for his actions. There is a reason for what he does though, and by the end of the book, his betrayal makes sense.

The book tells a complete story, but leaves certain threads undone so readers will want to pick up the second book. It should be interesting to see what the group of characters with their special talents can do when the act together to change things in Sindorous.

A special note to potential readers, don't judge this book by it's cover. Yes, I'm one of those people who sometimes selects books because of the cover (and the synopsis), but definitely don't skip over this one. Pick it up and read it.

The writing style is easy to read. Middle graders can easily read this, but the plot is so complex that I recommend it for teens and adults. It can easily be a family book. There's symbolism in the book and of course, some mystery.

About author Michelle Frost:
MICHELLE FROST has written everything from reviews on mustard and shampoo to horoscopes and an astrology advice column for a small South African newspaper. She won second prize in the Klein Karoo Arts festival, 2001, for a short story later published in the book e-rupsie/e-ruption.Michelle has had other short stories and poems published in various publications and countries. This is her first book

Find Michelle: Website   Goodreads

She has Profiles on Goodreads, bookblogs and shelfari.

Fire Country birthday celebration!

Today, Fire Country by David Estes turns one year old. In the first year since Fire Country was born, so much has happened. David signed with an agent, sold more than 10,000 books, wrote five more books and published a further three). He knew he just had to celebrate and he'd love for you to be a part of it! David owes so much of his support to the blogger community, and he wants everyone to have the chance to be a part of the Fire Country Birthday Bash.

Everyone goes home a winner, simply follow the prompts below and swipe your eCopy of Fire Country from Smashwords. Read and leave a review on Amazon if you enjoyed it. Feel free to share the code with your friends, family, neighbours and literary inclined pets.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/280371

Coupon Code: WH62C

Expiration: March 1, 2014

What's a party without prizes? Yes, David is not only giving everyone a chance to download their own copy of Fire Country, book one in the Country Saga for free, but he's also giving you stuff too. You could win an Amazon giftcard open internationally, U.S residents can win a signed copy of the David Estes book of your choice, or a handful of David Estes eBooks of your choice. Awesome.

Visit David via his Blog • Facebook • Twitter and via Goodreads

Pay Perry the Prickler a visit on Twitter and Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt:
“Why would the Wilds whisper lies in my ear if they’re going to kidnap me anyway?” I ask Circ the first chance I get after leaving Veev’s tent. My voice sounds funny ’cause I’ve pinched my nose shut with my finger and thumb.

Circ laughs at my voice, and then says, “They’re not going to kidnap you, Sie.” I snort, ’cause his voice sounds even funnier with his nostrils clamped tight. My fingers come off my nose for a second and I get a whiff of the blaze pit that sits a stone’s throw to the side. Screwing up my face, I pinch harder, until it hurts. A little pain is better’n the smell.

“I don’t mean me me. I mean hypothetically speaking. If the Wilds were to try to kidnap me”—I look at Circ, trying not to laugh at the sight of his squashed nose—“or any other Youngling girl, why wouldn’t they just grab her from behind, put a hand over her mouth, and carry her away in a tugskin sack?”

“Maybe they’re all out of tugskin?” Circ says, cracking up and losing the grip on his nose. He sticks out his tongue as the foul odor sneaks up his nostrils. The tips of his moccasin-covered feet are touching mine as we sit cross-legged across from each other. We’ve sat this way since we were Totters.

Insurgent (Divergent #2)

By Veronica Roth

After telling several of my friends about Divergent and how amazing it was/is (you can see my Divergent review here), one of them loaned me the second book, Insurgent, to read.  Too bad it was given during a time when I had several blog tours going on.  Sadly, I had to move it to the back burner.  As soon as I was caught up with my reading, I cracked open the book.  OMG, why did I wait so long? I'm kicking myself in the rear.  If you've read the first book, go ahead and continue on with the second book. I promise you won't regret it!

After Tris' initiation day turned into something nightmares are made of, she and her group must decide which faction(s) they can turn to for help.  With war looming on the horizon, every action counts, especially when the Erudite want to control everyone in each faction. When Tris learns that there is a secret about the reason for the Erudites attacking the Abegnations, Tris will stop at nothing to find out what that information is--even at the risk of betraying those that she loves.

Readers are thrust back into the action and chaos that they left in book 1, only this time it is a much darker world.  Tris and Tobias know that they must stick together in order to get through this ordeal, but learning who they can trust is a bit of trial and error. They also learn how true the mantra "faction before blood" is.

There is less romance in the second book than there was in the first book.  Tris and Tobias' relationship is tested.  Secrets are kept from each other and that means they question how much the other trusts them. Tris repeatedly defies Tobias and puts herself in harms way. It is only when she is near death that she learns to value her own life. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the third book.

Insurgent is the type of book where you want to speed read to find out what will happen, and at the same time you want to read it as slowly as possible so you can hang on to the story and savor it. I kept thinking YES, only X amount of pages left while at the same time thinking NO, only X amount of pages left.  The reason is that Ross' writing style sucks readers in and her plot keeps them glued to the pages.  It is very difficult to put the book down.

Readers beware though, the ending will make you want to pull your hair out. You find out what the Erudites were hiding and it is definitely a bombshell. Just like the end of Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2), you will need the third book ASAP. I recommend getting the third book, Allegiant, at the same time you get Insurgent. You will thank me for this advice.

About author Veronica Roth:

Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, ALLEGIANT, came out on October 22, 2013. She  spends endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)

Want more info about insurgent? Check out the book trailer below

Garden of Eden (The Legend of Eden #1)

About Garden of Eden
It has been four years.
Four years since the day the Catchers found her family.
Four years since she escaped capture.
And four years since the day her mother locked her and Will, a boy she hardly knew, in an attic, 'for their own protection'.

Now, Eden White is fifteen, and sick of being a prisoner of parents who all but abandoned her. It was as simple as one walk down a beautiful, foggy beach, but it ended with Eden and Will face to face with Catchers - and this time, there is no escape.

When Eden wakes, she finds herself on an island, surrounded by hundreds of stolen children. Enrolled in the island school, Jordan Hall, Eden quickly learns that the island is not what it seems.
And, in the woods surrounding the school, she discovers a wild, beautiful magic inside of herself - one she has no idea how to control. With three unlikely new friends, Eden begins to realize that the headmistress is hiding much more than the stolen children - and what they learn in the laboratories below the school could cost Eden her life.

Review:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What made me want to read this book was the dystopian elements the blurb hinted at. Yes, it does have those elements, but there is fantasy, magic, mystery, and many more elements that I didn't even realize. Kate Cowan used these elements to create her own unique world based in our version of reality.

I really like Will. I hated that he melted into the background when they came to the school. I wonder if "Will" is his real name or if he gave Eden a false name. I have a feeling (or I hope) that Will is going to play a more prominent role in the second book.  He seems like he could be a really strong character if given the chance. I also wonder if he knows Eden's secret. If Eden is destined for some cosmic role, then Will could have been strategically placed. Then again, I could be completely over analyzing his role in Eden's story.

This story will make you hate Eden's parents. I mean, what loving parents would really locks their kids up and has no interaction with them? Then to top it off, they leave for days at a time. I know that's their character flaw, but I'd like to know what really went through their minds.

I do like how Eden transformed after she left the attic. She became a stronger character. I loved that she didn't play the victim. She took control of her actions and sought to improve herself. She stood up for those that couldn't stand up for themselves and is trying to help everyone on the island by discovering its big secret. She's turning into a leader, and that makes her interesting.

After the Catchers capture Will and Eden, they take them to the mysterious island/school. There are lots of secrets to uncover here.  Readers don't know who to trust, especially since everyone seems to have a secret. I kept trying to decide who was "good" and who was "bad". Cowan does a good job of keeping readers guessing.

This is the first book in Eden's tale. If you're expecting a full story, you're going to be disappointed. You find out only one of the many mysteries of the island. You will discover one secret that doesn't bode well for people. You will definitely need to pick up the next book in the series to find out more because so many questions are left unanswered.

Readers who enjoy a good mystery with magic should give Garden of Eden a try.

Find it on Amazon   Goodreads

To see what others thought about Garden of Eden, check out the rest of the blog tour here.

About author Kate Cowan:
Kate is an artist, an animation student, a black belt in karate and now, an author. She didn't discover writing

until mid-high school, when she began writing an (unintentionally) hilarious novel involving a teenage girl and a magic necklace. Her current novel series, The Legend of Eden, began as a story of Arthurian magic, but quickly transformed into something much different.

Kate currently lives in Ontario, Canada, in a zoo of a house. When she isn't writing, she's drawing, cooking, or browsing the Internet for new music.

Find Kate  Website   Twitter  Goodreads

Giveaway:
Enter to win a copy of Garden of Eden.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Scored

By Lauren McLaughlin

About Scored (from Goodreads):
Set in the future when teenagers are monitored via camera and their recorded actions and confessions plugged into a computer program that determines their ability to succeed. All kids given a "score" that determines their future potential. This score has the ability to get kids into colleges, grant scholarships, or destroy all hope for the above. Scored's reluctant heroine is Imani, a girl whose high score is brought down when her best friend's score plummets. Where do you draw the line between doing what feels morally right and what can mean your future? Friendship, romance, loyalty, family, human connection and human value: all are questioned in this fresh and compelling dystopian novel set in the scarily forseeable future.

Review:
WHO IS WATCHING YOU?

At first, I was so excited to get Scored, and initially I couldn't put it down. I absolutely love the YA dystopian genre, and most of the time the authors fully think through the storyline, but sadly this book let me down. McLaughlin creates a very possible future dystpoian reality with the score system. This is a system where teens are constantly monitored by video cameras. Their actions (or inactions) are put into a computer which analyzes their ability to succeed in life. Then each student is scored. The score determines what universities a teen can get into and their future job opportunities. As a side effect, the score also determines friendships and cliques.

Readers see both sides of how being scored can be a blessing and/or a curse. Imani struggles to stay loyal to her friends and not let the score system dictate who her friends should be. When she tries to go against the system, readers get to see the fallout. No, wait, I take that back. Readers don't get to see any of the fallout becase McLaughlin ended the book too soon. She created a realistic world, and built the story up to an interesting climax and then ends the story without a resolution. There were so many questions left unanswered and readers are left unsatisfied.

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS ENDING QUESTIONS***
What happens from the outcome of Imani playing both sides? Was her final score improved or did it drop drastically, and how does that affect her future? How has Imani's deceit with Diego Landis play out in their possible future relationship? What about her dad? Imani tells him to wait wait for her so he can hear what she has done, but readers don't see his reaction. There are many other questions too, but I won't delve into those.

A true epilogue or second book would have been better than the letter that McLaughlin includes. This book had/has a lot of potential and is worth reading, but just know that you will be scratching your head at the end wondering what happend.

Has anyone else read this book?  What are your thoughts about it?

Book Trailer:

Five Books Turned into Movies Releasing Soon

I love book trailers.  I'll check out book trailers before, during, or after I read a book.  I want to see how the author and publisher view the book.  But even better than book trailers are when they are turned into movies! Most readers wait in eager anticipation of who is selected as the main character, and may even go to midnight screenings just to make sure that the movie holds its own against the book.  (And of course discuss the alterations the movie had that wasn't in the book.) A few movies are coming out within the next few months that I'm looking forward to. Have you read the books? If not, then there is still time! What are your thoughts on these trailers?

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2 by Rick Riordan) 
The first Percy Jackson movie was HORRIBLE!!!  It never matched the book. Even worse, it left out the bad guy, and didn't set the film up for the rest of the series. It would be as if the first Harry Potter film were made without the mention of Lord Voldemort.  You can't do that!  Especially when you have a reader fan base. I was surprised to find out that they made the second Percy Jackson movie.  They have a lot of catching up to do. I hope it is better than the first movie.  Needless to say, I won't be watching this at any midnight premier on August 7, 2013!

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1 by Cassandra Clare)
This is the first movie in the Mortal Instruments series that is geared to young adults. There will be so many supernatural elements to this film, that I can't wait to see what these creatures will look like.  There will be a ton of action, probably a bit of violence, and a hint of romance. Hopefully it will hold its own against the book. I'm looking forward to this when it hits theaters on August 23, 2013.

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2 by Suzanne Collins)
After the success of The Hunger Games, the sequel, Catching Fire, is sure to be just as popular.  I love the curve ball in the second book that has the main characters facing the games' drama all over again. Just hope that the cinematography is better than the first one.  The camera was all over the place in the first movie. Still, I'm eager to see how close to the book they are going to keep this-- and if it will have the same cliff hanger ending that will have fans screaming for the third movie. Are you ready for November 22, 2013 to get here?  I know I am!

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1 by James Dashner)
It is still too early for the official movie trailer to be released for this movie, so I have embeded the book trailer for you. This is the Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies. I'm eager to see how they generate the creatures of the maze and if they will sound like they do in the book.  I don't think the movie will be as scary as the book is, but it will still have fans on the edge of their seats! Look for this one when it releases on February 14, 2014, but you might not want to take a date to this one. It isn't romantic.

Divergent (Divergent #1 by Veronica Roth)
The third book in this book series isn't even out, and the movie for the first book has already begun filming.  Yes, the books are that good!  It's a dystopian novel/movie that is set in futuristic Chicago. There will be tons of action and drama.  There's also a touch of romance.  This will be much anticipated, and will attract the same fan base as the Hunger Games. See my review of the book here. Yes, this will be one that I will want to see at the midnight showing when it releases on March 21, 2014!

City of the Fallen Releases Today!

I love dystopian books.  Add paranormal aspects and some romance, and that's my idea of a perfect book.  City of the Fallen has all of these elements and it releases TODAY!! This is definitely one I'm adding to my TBR list. Will it be added to yours too?

About City of the Fallen:
Five years ago, vampires came out of hiding and took over the world. It was meant to be a quick enslavement but it turned into a bloody battle that brought humanity to the brink of extinction.

Isabelle Bryant is one of the “lucky” survivors, now living in hiding, scavenging for food through deserted towns.

And she’s tired of it.

So she’s devised a plan: find the king of the vampires and drive a stake through his heart.

Except that wickedly sensual king Marcus is nothing like the monster she expected. And while landing on his bed was part of the plan all along, discovering that he might hold the key to humanity’s survival certainly wasn’t. The catch? Saving humanity also means ensuring vampire survival. It means giving up hope for a return to a human-ruled world.

As sparks fly and hate becomes heat, Isabelle must pick a side -- before the darkness devours them all.

Goodreads

About author Diana Bocco:

Diana Bocco is a full-time writer and author. She's been a fan of all kinds of dark creatures since she was a kid. If it crawls in the night and tugs at your covers while you're sleeping, chances are she's written about it. It's probably no surprise that she's a big fan of old buildings, urban exploring and things that go bump in the night.

In her other life, Diana also writes nonfiction: articles, books, and even quizzes for markets such as the Discovery Channel, Yahoo! and Marie Claire magazine.

Visit www.dianaboccobooks.com for more info on Diana's work. Or join Diana's mailing list and be the first one to know about new releases, signings, and giveaways: http://eepurl.com/ugbm5

Find Diana:  Website/Blog   Goodreads


Excerpt from City of the Fallen:
Then the king’s eyes turned to her and for a second she saw something there that took her breath away.

A hint of humanity.

Fear rushed through her body the instant she saw the light in his eyes. She couldn’t allow herself to think of any of them as anything other than monsters. The whole point of being here was to destroy them—and any hint of doubt, any second-guessing, would mean disaster.

In the couple of seconds her eyes moved away towards the guard, the king rushed over to where she was. Moved so fast, in fact, that she never saw him leave the chair and make his way to her.

The heat of his proximity made her body tighten. Nothing she had heard about being charmed had warned her about that. She had been expecting fogginess, something akin to being half-asleep, but all she could feel was her own body, pulsing in response to the immediacy.

He was just inches away.

“I can smell your blood from here,” he whispered, and reality tied up her stomach in two.

Her feet were frozen to the ground, her heart hammering so hard she knew he could hear it. He leaned forward, inching closer to her neck. This is it, she told herself. But there were no teeth, no pain. Instead, he took a deep breath before moving back and into her eyes.

And then he kissed her. The surprise lasted less than a second before desire exploded like a ravaging fire through her body. Hunger so desperate she felt like she was falling. His tongue pushed against her lips, demanding entrance. With a moan, she opened her lips and let him in. He groaned into her mouth and deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with hers, probing, exploring. There was something different about him, something almost animal. A rough, intense taste of fire flowing from his body into hers.

Something brushed against her lower lip and she realized his teeth were grazing her mouth. Firm enough that she could feel them, but without breaking the skin. Rather than scaring her, the realization of what he was doing sent her heart into a frenzy. She moaned and pushed against his body, melting into his mouth. Every inch of him was hard, pulsing, more alive than any man she had ever touched.

Heat bolted down her body, coiling in her stomach before making her way down to her legs.

Without warning, he broke the kiss. A soft moan escaped her throat and it took her a second or two to get her eyes into focus again. The room was spinning and so was her head, filled with some sort of intoxicating, pulsing sound she couldn’t describe. She was panting, her body shivering from the contact. Her eyes looked for his and she saw the fire exploding in them. His chest was rising up and down as rapidly as hers and suddenly it clicked. Everything she was feeling was very real. No charming, no mind tricks. Just pure raw desire.

“Why…?”

Before she could finish the question, he turned around and left the room.

###

Enchantress of Books Blog Tours

Under the Never Sky

By Veronica Rossi

In The Death Shop there are many ways to die. The trick is surviving. And if you’ve grown up without being exposed to the outside elements, there’s no hope–unless you find someone to help guide you…

After an accident that gets Aria kicked out of the enclosed city of Reverie, she is thrown out into the outside world known as The Death Shop and left for dead. She soon runs into Perry, a “savage” who helps her survive and navigate the wild. Perry wants to use Aria to get back his nephew who was taken by Aria’s people, the “dwellers”. The two ultimately want to get back to Reverie, but they have to learn to rely on each other before that can happen. Can two people from opposite worlds trust each other to achieve their goals?

It takes a while for the story to get going. Aria has to be kicked out of her home before the action can happen. Once she crosses paths in the wild with Perry, the story really takes off. Together the two must survive ether storms with hungry cannibals after them and outrun wild wolves.

This will make an amazing movie that both sexes would enjoy. (oh yes, the film rights have been optioned by Warner Brothers) There’s battles with knives and archers that create action for guys while Aria and Perry’s relationship is the love story that ladies swoon over. Together it is the perfect date story/movie/book.

I love how Rossi made her main characters complete opposites of each other. One sheltered, the other raised in the wild; one is chatty, the other is quiet; one is a singer, the other is a hunter; one has sharp hearing, the other has sharp sight. It creates a large barrier each character must overcome before starting to like the other and puts a new meaning to opposites attract.

I highly recommend this book to teens and adults alike. If you enjoyed the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, then you will definitely enjoy Under the Never Sky. There are lots of similarities between society and the wild in both books. I will definitely finish this series and look forward to picking up the second book, Through the Ever Night, that’s due to release January 2013!

Curious for more? Check out the book trailer below and I know you’ll be running out to pick up the book as soon as possible. I mean seriously, this is the best book trailer I’ve ever seen!

Starters

By Lissa Price

After reading the synopsis of Starters, I was very intrigued. It has such an original idea that I chose the audiobook version of it. Sometimes audioboks really enhance an author’s work and help to make it more memorable. The Starters narrator, however, definitely hurt Price’s brilliant story. The narrator offered inflection but lacked enthusiasm and it made it difficult to connect with Callie. I was tempted to not finish it, but fortunately I got a copy of the hardback version and thoroughly enjoyed the second half of her book.

In Price’s world, technology has advanced so the rich elderly people, called Enders, can “rent” teenage bodies so that they can enjoy youthful activities. The teens, called “Starters” who elect to rent their bodies have a chip implanted so the Enders can control their bodies while the Starters sleep through it.

After her parents died in the Spore Wars, Callie Woodland is doing everything she can to survive on the streets while taking care of Tyler, her younger sick brother, and avoiding the marshals who want to institutionalize orphaned street kids. The opportunity to “loan” her body to Prime Destinations for Enders’ pleasures comes with the promise of a large payday that Callie can use to take care of Tyler. During her third “rental” something goes wrong with the chip and Callie wakes up in the life of wealth and privilege. She soon learns that her Ender renter has decided to commit murder in Callie’s body. Can Callie stop this plan? And is Prime Destinations all that it appears to be?

Price creates a unique environment where an entire generation has been wiped out by the Spore Wars. I would have liked a little more background information on that war, but the story is still complete without it.

Readers will easily understand the dilemmas Callie is forced into. She’s constantly caught between a rock and a hard place with no clear direction as to what is right and wrong. She wants to stop a murder, but what’s the best way to do that when you don’t have control over your body all the time?

In addition to figuring out what to do, Callie must also decide who to trust. Price does a brilliant job throwing readers off. People who seem to be the bad guys just might be the good guys. And close confidants might not be exactly who they say they are. Readers who are good at guessing plot twists, might have a challenge figuring out all of the surprises Price has in store.

Lissa Price delivers a brilliant story that is filled with mystery, suspense, action and a hint of romance. Teens and adults alike can enjoy this dystopian sci-fi. Readers who liked Skinned by Robin Wasserman will thoroughly enjoy Starters.

I look forward to seeing where Price takes the story in her second book, Enders, which is due to come out in 2013.

Interested in more? Check out the Starters book trailer!

Divergent

By Veronica Roth

I’ve wanted to read this book for a while. Once I finally got it and cracked open the cover, I absolutely could not put it down. Roth does not lollygag around setting up the storyline, but plunges readers right into it, and once you’re in it, hang on because you are in for a wild ride!

For 16 year old Beatrice “Tris” Prior, selecting a faction will be the most important decision of her life. After her aptitude test comes back inconclusive—thereby secretly labeling her a “divergent”—she now must choose to stay with her family in the Abnegation (the selfless) faction or completely turn her back on them by choosing another faction: Erudite (the intelligent) or Dauntless (the courageous). Her decision pushes her to her physical and mental limits, and will have readers questioning whether she will make it through the faction’s initiation process.

I love that the ending of Divergent was not what I was expecting. I expected it to end right after we see if Tris passes initiation or becomes factionless. Both would position the character to make interesting decisions affecting the leaders of the dystopian society—fight them from the outside or fight them from the inside. Instead, Roth completely threw me off guard by setting up events that will resonate throughout the second and third book in the series. I didn’t see it coming and that was a thrilling surprise.

Because this is Roth’s debut novel, she initially struggles with explaining the setup of her dystopian society and doesn’t provide a detailed history of how we moved from the society we are in present day, to her faction system. I think that information would have really helped to flesh out the beginning of the story. However, Roth soon gets into a writing groove that keeps readers eager to find out what comes next.

Divergent isn’t a rainbows and butterflies type of story, but a raw, smack-you-in-the-face mix of fighting, strategizing, plotting, and backstabbing. Tris gets knocked down and has to get back up again and face her fears in order to try and make it through initiation. This is a combination of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games that meets Ally Condie’s Matched. It is a book where even though I checked it out from the library, I have gone out and bought it and the second book, Insurgent, just so I can pass it to family and friends so they can read. Needless to day, I highly recommend it and am not surprised that Summit Entertainment is in the process of producing the movie!

Want more? Here is the book trailer.