YA Kindle Deals Under $5: 4/30/12

Hi Guys! Here you'll find some of the best Kindle deals available. Some books are well known and some are hidden gems that I've found, but ALL books below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon. Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings or are from popular series on Amazon.com.

FREE!

Click "Read More" to see other price ranges!

Giveaway: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer {Signed}

Hi Inklings!

Some of you may already know that I went to the Brigid Kemmerer reading/signing at Barnes and Noble this weekend! It was such a great time. Brigid was super friendly, generous, and thankful to all of us for coming. She gave away a TON of prizes to guests, including a Nook and a bunch of gift cards! I thought it was only going to be a signing, but I was very excited to learn that it was a reading as well. Let me tell you guys: I was hooked after hearing the first chapter! I wish I had some space for it in my current reading schedule. At the first opportunity, I will definitely squeeze Storm in. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews!

So now for what you all have been waiting for: I had a copy of Storm (Elemental, #1) signed just to giveaway to you guys! A bookmark and bracelet that I received from the signing will also be included. She says that the bracelet will make sense after reading the book!

Terms and Conditions:
- Must be 13 years of age or older!
- US mailing addresses only.
- Enter using rafflecopter form below.
- Winner will be randomly selected via rafflecopter. Winner will be given 48 hours to respond to my email. If I do not receive a response in that time period another winner will be selected.

STORM (ELEMENTAL, #1) BY BRIGID KEMMERER

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming . . .

Ebook of the Week + Giveaway: Initiation

"Ebook of the Week" is a weekly feature here at Inklings Read. Each week I feature an ebook as well as a giveaway! Ebooks featured in these posts will always be well rated and reasonably priced! Sometimes, if we're lucky, the author will drop by to say "Hi" with a few words on their book as well. Now let’s showcase Inklings Read’s Ebook of the Week! Imogen Rose graces us with her presence today! If you haven’t already heard of her, she’s author of the highly rated Bonfire Chronicles and Portal Chronicles. I couldn’t be more happy to feature book one of the Bonfire Academy series, Initiation.

Initiation (Bonfire Academy, #1) by Imogen Rose

Welcome to Bonfire Academy! Set in the foothills of the alpine mountains in St.Moritz, this exclusive private school caters to a special kind of student. Enter at your own risk... but if you are human, you may not want to enter at all. INITIATION is the first book in the prequel series (Bonfire Academy) of the Bonfire Chronicles.

Goodreads | Buy It

Book Trailer

About Imogen Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, the Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she’s been based for the past ten years. For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come. PORTAL, Imogen’s first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape. The warm reception PORTAL received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. The Bonfire Chronicles is Imogen’s new YA paranormal series. Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah. Please describe Initiation using only 5 words!  Demons, hot faeries, and villains. What can we expect from you in the future!? I am working on the sequel to INITIATION at the moment. It's called INTEGRATION.

Want to connect with Imogen?

Blog | Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Review: Hemlock

Hemlock (Hemlock, #1) by Kathleen Peacock
Publisher: HarperCollins 
Format: ARC
Source: Blog Tour 
Release Date: May 8th, 2012
Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★★★

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

Typically I'm not a fan of murder mystery novels, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to read one with a werewolf spin! Not only did Hemlock keep me on my toes, but it also played out completely different from how I envisioned it! The unpredictability of this novel is what kept me hooked throughout it's entirety. 

In Hemlock, Kathleen provides a much needed breath of fresh air to the the werewolf genre. I found it interesting that Kathleen made the existence of werewolves common knowledge in this book. The lupine syndrome is treated as an epidemic. It's such a simple premise, but I can't recall a werewolf story I've read where the same is true! Hemlock seemed to carry a Salem Witch Trial likeness with it that only added to the tension of the murder storyline.

The characters in Hemlock were fantastic! They were real and relate-able; especially Mac, the protagonist. She was strong and very likeable. On top of the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the romance aspect of this book! Kathleen did a wonderful job providing tension within the love triangle without making it annoying and overbearing. Let's face it: it's pretty easy to get frustrated with love triangles! Two-thumbs up for a successfully written romance!

Hemlock will appeal to readers of many genres! Yes, even those who haven't liked werewolf books in the past! There's much, much more to this book than werewolves. Whether you are looking for a good YA romance, an intriguing mystery, or an action-packed read Hemlock will deliver!

This book was reviewed as part of the Hemlock ARC Tour, hosted by PARAFANTASY!

Ezmirelda - Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this awesomeness!

YA Kindle Deals Under $5: 4/23/12

Hi Guys! Here you'll find some of the best Kindle deals available. Some books are well known and some are hidden gems that I've found, but ALL books below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon. Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings or are from popular series on Amazon.com.

FREE!

Click "Read More" to see other price ranges!

Ebook of the Week + Giveaway: Entangled

"Ebook of the Week" is a weekly feature here at Inklings Read. Each week I feature an ebook as well as a giveaway! Ebooks featured in these posts will always be well rated and reasonably priced! Sometimes, if we're lucky, the author will drop by to say "Hi" with a few words on their book as well. Now let’s showcase Inklings Read’s Ebook of the Week! This week we have Nikki Jefford, author of the Spellbound series, here with us today to tell us a bit about herself and the first book in the series, Entangled.

Entangled (spellbound, #1) by Nikki Jefford

Twin witches Graylee and Charlene Perez agree on one rule: No dating warlocks. Not so easy when a certain rogue warlock is convinced he and Graylee belong together and will use anything, including magic, to try and impress Gray. When Charlene’s boyfriend dumps her, she threatens to kill either herself or the girl who stole Blake. Somehow, Gray ends up dead. A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong: Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in Charlene’s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Only now Gray’s stuck sharing her sister’s body 50/50 in twenty-four hour shifts. The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence. Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he’s after Gray’s invisibility spell and worse – her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever.

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Trailer

About Nikki Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands where she is, once more, neighbors with Canada. She has a degree in journalism and was an entertainment reporter before returning to her first love: fiction. After a whirlwind romance in France, Nikki married Sébastien in March 2000. They reside with Cosmo the Wonder Westie. Please describe Entangled using only 5 words!  Twins trapped in one body. What can we expect from you in the future!? Book two in the Spellbound trilogy, along with a much darker (violent and sexual) vampire slayer series.

Want to connect with Nikki?

Blog | Goodreads

YA Kindle Deals Under $5: 4/16/11

Hi Guys! Here you'll find some of the best Kindle deals available. Some books are well known and some are hidden gems that I've found, but ALL books below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon. Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon.com.

FREE!

Click "Read More" to see other price ranges!

EOTW + Friendly Fire Tour: Ebook Giveaway!

"Ebook of the Week" is a weekly feature here at Inklings Read. Each week I feature an ebook as well as a giveaway! Ebooks featured in these posts will always be well rated and reasonably priced! Sometimes, if we're lucky, the author will drop by to say "Hi" with a few words on their book as well. Now let’s showcase Inklings Read’s Ebook of the Week! This week we have Lynn Seresin, author of The Thin Air Saga, here with us today as part of the official Friendly Fire Tour!

Friendly Fire (Thin Air Saga, #2) by Lynn Seresin

Though their love remains strong, the pressure of constant danger has taken its toll on Alice and Daniel’s relationship. Paralda’s assassins continue their murder spree in New York City, targeting girls who resemble Alice in an effort to fulfill the air king’s deadly directive. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, the couple must also fiercely guard the secret of Alice’s emergent powers and true identity from everyone--including their closest friends--to protect her safety. Enter Ash and Terrance: two former elementals, each with their own set of reasons for transmuting to the human plane. For Ash, the material realm represents freedom and the possibility of fulfilling a forbidden wish. Terrance has only one aim in the mortal world: to win Alice’s heart. And it seems he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

Goodreads | Amazon

About Lynn Lynn Seresin worked as a children's book editor and freelance writer of middle-grade fiction before writing Thin Air, the first book in the Thin Air saga. She lives with her husband, daughter and son in Connecticut. A black Lab named Dudley, a teacup Chihuahua named Layla, and a black cat named Shadow share their household

Want to connect with Lynn?

Website | Goodreads

Review: The Immortal Rules

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen 
Format: eGalley
Source: Provided by Publisher For Review 
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★★☆

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

In market flooded with vampire books, The Immortal Rules stands out as a refreshingly original and brutal dystopian tale.

Allison was given a choice: die or become the very thing she despises. She chooses life… well kind of. Allison chooses to become a vampire. Throughout the book she struggles with this fact. There is a never-ending battle waged between her heart and her body. Her hunger doesn't discriminate: She fights it around everyone, even those she cares about. Despite her new vampire nature, she sacrifices herself many times for those she loves. I found her to be an extremely honorable and strong main character.

Not only did Allison struggle with her new vampire state, but as the story progressed she began to unravel a much larger mystery. Julie created the perfect balance between personal and large scale issues: neither overshadowed the other. I really felt for Allison’s situation. Being a vampire, people looked at her different, as if she was a monster. Even she, herself,  pondered that thought at times. Did she have a soul? When Zeke and his group came into the picture she was given some purpose and direction in her new life. She grew to love, appreciate, and trust them, Zeke in particular.

The tension and love between Zeke and Allison grew to impressive levels, but in the end left me a bit disappointed. I was looking for something more from them... But maybe that's the beauty in it: They found a plain love in a complicated world. Both had duties that came before their personal desires; creating a love that was believable and realistic. If you are looking for insta-love, I'm happy to say you will not find it here!

I’m a huge fan of Julie’s Iron Fey series! Unfortunately, so far, The Blood of Eden series doesn’t seem to be surpassing it…. yet. I see so much potential, but I feel that parts of this book were rushed and the ending was somewhat anticlimactic. I imagine I will like the upcoming Blood of Eden novel more so than this one. Saying that, I still believe that The Immortal Rules is one of the best YA vampire books out there. The combination of dystopian and paranormal elements is sure to please readers across genres!

YA Kindle Deals Under $5: 4/9/12

Hi Guys! Here you'll find some of the best Kindle deals available. Some books are well known and some are hidden gems that I've found, but ALL books below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon. Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon.com.

FREE!

Click "Read More" to see other price ranges!

Ebook of the Week + Giveaway: Moon Spell

"Ebook of the Week" is a weekly feature here at Inklings Read. Each week I feature an ebook as well as a giveaway! Ebooks featured in these posts will always be well rated and reasonably priced! Sometimes, if we're lucky, the author will drop by to say "Hi" with a few words on their book as well. Now let’s showcase Inklings Read’s Ebook of the Week! This week we have Samantha Young, author of The Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy, here with us today to tell us a bit about herself and the first book in the series, Moon Spell.

Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte, #1) by Samantha Young

Enter a world of fierce wolves, stunning magic and romance... It’s bad enough feeling different among the human crowd, but feeling different among wolves? No one said returning to her pack would be easy, especially after ten years without them, but seventeen year old Caia Ribeiro is unprepared for the realities of the transition. Raised in a world where kids aren’t scared by bedtime tales of the bogeyman but by the real life threat of enemy supernaturals who might come creeping into their community to kill them in their sleep, Caia is used to the darkness; she’s used to the mystery and the intrigue of the ancient underworld war she’s bound to by chance of birth. What she’s having trouble with are pack members treating her with wary suspicion, the Elders tucking secrets behind their backs out of her sightline, and her young Alpha, Lucien, distracting her, with a dangerous attraction, from her decision to uncover the truth. But as the saying goes ‘the truth will out’ and when it does, Caia will only have so long to prepare herself before the war comes pounding on their door threatening to destroy the safe, secret lives of the wolves… and the girl they protect.

Goodreads | Amazon

About SamanthA Samantha Young is a 25 year old writer who resides in her home county of Stirlingshire, Scotland. She is a self-proclaimed book addict and kindle junkie, using fantasy, dystopian, sci-fi and paranormal novels to feed her addiction. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in ancient and medieval history, Samantha returned to her main passion, writing, and often incorporates history and mythology into her novels. Samantha's first release, The Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy, was followed by a second series titled Warriors of Ankh. At present, she is a full-time writer working on a number of projects for near future release. She is the author of nine novels and one novella. Her young adult paranormal series' are amazon bestselling novels. Please describe Moon Spell using only 5 words!  Dramatic, Mysterious, Romantic, Thrilling, Snarky. What can we expect from you in the future!? I'm currently working on my YA Urban Fantasy series, Fire Spirits (http://firespiritsnovels.blogspot.com), about the Jinn :-) Book One and Two are already available to buy and I'm working on Book three currently, with plans for more in the series for later this year.

Want to connect with Samantha?

Blog | Goodreads

Friendly Fire Tour: Casting Call

As part of the Friendly Fire tour, I thought it would be fun to do a casting call for the main characters! Thanks to Lynn, author of the series, I was able to get some more in depth descriptions of the characters so I could truly bring them to life for the readers! Here’s what I came up with:

Alice | Amanda Seyfried Where You’ve Seen Her: Red Riding Hood (2011), Letters To Juliet (2010), Dear John (2010), Mean Girls (2004). Character Description: Tall, willowy, with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a porcelain complexion. A very delicate sort of beauty. As for her fashion sense, I imagine her in pale colors--soft grays, pale rose, cream, ice blue) in clothing that flows a bit (as opposed to skin-tight), with a sort of bohemian-chic style. She'd also take Dante along for his stylistic input! Sarah’s Notes: Lynn and I both agree that Amanda is, hands down, the PERFECT Alice.

daniel | Alex Pettyfer Where You’ve Seen Him: Beastly (2011), I Am Number Four (2011), Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006).  Character Description: Tall, slender, green-eyed (soft, not piercing green), with chestnut-colored hair fairly shortly cropped, but not so short that it doesn't have a bit of play. He's extremely handsome, with a fine nose, full lips, high cheekbones. His fashion style borders on non-existent; Jeans, pull-overs, thermal-knit henleys, hoodies, flannel shirts, worn boots. Sarah’s Notes: For some reason Daniel was the hardest to cast for me. I didn’t have a pre-formed idea in my head. Lynn offered up some suggestions (see below) but I just couldn’t picture them with Amanda Seyfried. Though Alex is more masculine than how I originally envisioned Daniel, I think he could play the role really well.  Alernates: Kevin Zegers & Shiloh Fernandez

Dante | Thomas Dekker Where You’ve Seen Him: The Secret Circle (2011-2012), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009), Heroes (2006-2007).   Character Description: Based on Adam Lambert. Anyone with Adam's dark good looks; blue eyes; tall, slender build. Dante wears a nose stud (sometimes a ring), has pierced ears, and a very dramatic, flambuoyant sense of style--lots of black leather, studs, boots. He's up for anything sexy and over-the-top glam! Sarah’s Notes: Thomas’ character on The Secret Circle is so incredibly dramatic. I think that, if we can’t have Adam Lambert play Dante, than Thomas would be the perfect stand in. Those who watch the show already know he can rock some eyeliner!

Shane | Andrew Garfield Where You’ve Seen Him: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Social Network (2010), Never Let Me Go (2010).    Character Description: Large, brown, expressive eyes and chin-length, brown hair parted in the middle, usually swept behind his ears. Prominent (in a good sense) brows. He's handsome, in a sensitive, poetic kind of way. Sarah’s Notes: I picked Andrew for his performance in Never Let Me Go. No matter what he does, he always comes across as a sensitive soul to me. And look *points to picture* PROMINENT BROWS and big eyes!

YA Kindle Deals Under $5: 4/2/12

Hi Guys! Here you'll find some of the best Kindle deals available. Some books are well known and some are hidden gems that I've found, but ALL books below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon. Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon.com.

FREE!

Click "Read More" to see other price ranges!

In My Mailbox (17) & Signing Recap

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where you will find the most recent books I have received for review, purchased, etc.

This week I was lucky enough to make it to a local signing at Ukazoo Books in Towson, MD! It was actually the first book signing I have ever attended! I was able to meet Michelle Madow, author of Remembrance, and Taryn Browning, author of Dark Seeker. They were super friendly, awesome people and made it a great experience :) I couldn't be more psyched to check out their books! See below for some pictures from the signing! But first, here’s my In My Mailbox for the week:

SIGNING At ukazoo books (3/31/12)

Michelle Madow, myself, and Taryn Browning!