Friday, September 21, 2012

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout Cover Reveal!

Happy Friday Everyone!

I could not help myself. Once I learned on Monday about the cover reveal today, I had to join in! I may not be the biggest Daemon lover, but I am a fan of the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The first two books and prequel were terrifically written, have delightful dynamic characters and have an awesome romance. And aliens! And memorable lines! 
I would be grateful if someone would on day say to me... 

“I’ve always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect.”, as Daemon tells Katy on page 66 in Obsidian

Now! The moment you have been waiting for? Are you ready? 

The cover of Opal!!! Book three in the Lux series!!!


Isn't it beautiful!!! I love the background of a blue forest, and the peaceful look on Katy's face.

Synopsis (with mini commentary
No one is like Daemon Black.
(that is true) 

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
(
or stop what happened to Adam--tear)

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
(If that does not sound exciting, I do not know what will)

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.
Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.
Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Thanks for reading!
Who else cannot wait for Opal?

Monday, September 17, 2012

Announcement - Brigid Kemmerer Rules!

Hello Unforgettable Bloggers and Readers!!!

L'Shana Tova to my fellow Jews!

I hope everyone is enjoying their life at the moment. 

My life is semi-awesome right now. I just received my first speaking role in a play at my high school and I am busy with senior year of high school activities. I am so excited to finally act in a play, but that means I will not be able to blog as often and comment on amazing blog posts as much as I would like for the next few months. I hope to still blog and comment sporadically. (I love you guys.)
 I hope to go back to blogging more often once Thanksgiving comes along. 

***


I had a blast this Saturday going to Brigid Kemmerer's marvelous Spark Launch Party in Ellicot City, Maryland. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that Brigid remembered me from her Storm Launch Party back in April. There were two girls behind me who made fabulous elemental related T-shirts, a fantastic reading by Brigid on the scene where Gabriel rescues the little girl from a fire and Brigid's witty replies to the fantastic questions that were asked. I am so glad to share that my favorite character from Storm, Casper, has a huge role in Spirit!!! 

Who else wishes Spirit could appear from thin air in their hands right now?

Thanks Brigid for a marvelous Launch Party and the following sweet autograph! 
I cannot wait for her autograph in my copy Spirit.




Some unforgettable reviews on Spark to urge you to read Spark if you have not had a chance to read it already.

Sarah @ Saz101
The Reader's Den
Eleusinian Mysteries  
A Daydreamer's Thoughts

Keep on Reading! 
Who else cannot wait for The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan to come out?

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Cover Reveal: Reaping Me Softly by Kate Evangelista!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!!

I am so happy to participate in the cover reveal for Reaping Me Softly by Kate Evangelista. This fabulous cover reveal is hosted by AToMR Tours
This book is published by Omnific Publishing and has one of my favorite covers. 


Isn't this cover a delight to see?

I instantly bonded with the simple, perfect shade of blue and the impeccable layout of the blindfolded girl and the golden bird cage. This cover is just plain unforgettable. I really adore how it shares a detailed and gorgeous scene that may appear in Reaping Me Softly

The synopsis: the book beyond the amazing cover

Ever since a near-death-experience on the operating table, seventeen-year-old Arianne Wilson can see dead people. Just as she’s learned to accept her new-found talents, she discovers that the boy she’s had a crush on since freshman year, Niko Clark, is a Reaper.

At last they have something in common, but that doesn’t mean life is getting any easier. All while facing merciless bullying from the most powerful girl in school, Arianne’s world is turned upside down after Niko accidentally reaps the soul of someone she loves. This sends them both into a spiral that threatens to end Arianne’s life. But will Niko break his own Reaper’s code to save her? And what would the consequences be if he did?


We shall see. I hope this book is as exciting as it sounds. REAPERS! I have not read many reaper books, but I sure want to. I believe this book is perfect one to start my journey of the world of reapers. 

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Rebecca's Guest Post: Top Authors!

Hi Everyone!!!!!

Today is a very special day!!!!!! Its my sister Rebecca's 21st birthday. Happy Birthday Rebecca! 
So Rebecca decided to create the following wonderful guest post today. 
Everything in blue is written by Rebecca.
My Top Authors!
To celebrate my 21st birthday, and Rachel’s wonderful, unforgettable blog, I decided to share three authors who influenced me as a writer and a person.  I hope it exposes you to some authors you have not had the chance to read yet, as well provide different insights and perspectives about authors you may have already read earlier in your life!

3) Lemony Snicket
Series of Unfortunate Events

When I first read the last book of the Series of Unfortunate Events, when I was 14, I was disappointed with the ending. There were 13 books in the series and around the middle of the series a mystery of why the Baudelaire orphans parents died developed and why they were tossed from guardian to guardian who were not actually related to them. Among other questions left unanswered in the series, particularly in the last book, the author never explicitly said what the Baudelaire’s parent’s involvement in the secret organization, and why they died. At that time I didn’t appreciate the open ended-ness of the book, since I expected answers after investing time into reading all the books in the series. However when I reread the series six years later, I appreciated the ending a bit more. I saw the ending more as a literary writing style choice on the part of the writer. He was attempting to construct a message with the last book. It was not so much about the plot, but about staying true to the mysterious tone in the rest of the series.
There was one part in the final installment of the series, The End, where Lemony Snicket writes about how the Baudelaire orphans found out the answers to the mystery surrounding their parents, and the mysterious organization VFD, by staying at the island [where the Baudelaire orphans were stranded on in the book] for a year or so. He writes about how the new answers lead to new questions and those new questions lead to new answers, creating cycles of new mysteries. After rereading the series, I was satisfied enough with the growth of the characters. I wasn’t as concerned about knowing all the answers to the mysteries myself, but knowing that the characters were at a good place by the end of the series. 
2)Andrew Clements
The Laundry News

**Fun fact- Brian Selznick illustrated this book. He was the author and illustrator of the graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

“A good hearted newspaper tries to tell the truth that helps people understand things better. A good hearted newspaper can tell the same story as a mean hearted newspaper, but it tells the story in a different way, because it’s for a different reason (Andrew Clements, The Laundry News, Page 66).”—Cara Laundry in an editorial her personal turned classroom turned school newspaper in the novel, The Laundry News. 

This book is about a ten-year-old girl, Cara Laundry, whose personal newspaper, The Laundry News transforms into class and school wide newspaper. It’s also about her teacher, Mr. Larson, who regains his passion for teaching by using the newspaper as a way to teach a unit on journalism based on the paper.

This story represents how important it is to express the truth in a constructive manner particularly in journalism, and the responsibility people have when they have the freedom of expression. The year before this story took place, when Cara was in 4th grade, she started the newspaper at her old school. She started the newspaper after her parent’s divorce. It was a way to try to get her father’s attention by being mean and cruel to others. That newspaper was vindictive and was meant magnify her classmates, teachers, and other faculty’s weaknesses. 

The newspapers created in the book are meant to tell the truth –they are meant to have a good heart. These newspapers tell the truth in a constructive way.

 As I grew up, particularly when I went to college, I was able utilize this novel’s lesson when meeting other people. It helped me understand that every one is complex, everyone has their own stories, and it’s important to not quickly judge others before getting to know them.
1) Anthony Horowitz
Alex Rider Series

I’ve known very few people who have read this series, but this is one of my favorite book series. I followed it since I was twelve until the final book came out when I was nineteen.
I was introduced to the second book of the series Point Blanc during a seventh grade reading contest. The Alex Rider series is about a British fourteen- year-old spy named Alex Rider.
When I read the first books in the series, I enjoyed the plot of the books because they had action packed scenes and mysteries within each book. This second book in this series, Point Blanc, was particularly intriguing since it was set in a creepy boarding school, and Alex finds out that the villain, Dr Grief, created clones of himself to impersonate rich men’s sons.  I read the books through a more psychological and criminologist lens as I grew older and the series grew a bit darker. It also sparked my interested in criminology- since the villains were always sociopathic but intelligent …sort of like the unsubs in the show Criminal Minds.
             Re-reading this series over the summer, I picked up on the political undertones [why the Dr. Grief wanted to create clones and have them impersonate the rich powerful sons]. It bothered me a bit more that Alex was only fourteen, and was forced into deadly situations just to help the spying agency and government. In addition it became harder for Alex, and myself as a reader, to figure out who was evil, and who was not evil in the series, including Alex himself- since everyone, including the employees in the spying organization MI6, had their flaws. 

Thanks For Reading!
Rebecca