Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Flicker & Burn

Hi Inklings!

I’ve returned from my holiday hibernation to bring you a pretty awesome cover reveal and giveaway! T.M. Goeglein, author of Cold Fury, has a super special, two-for-one cover reveal…Cold Fury has been redesigned, as well as the second installment in the Cold Fury trilogy…Flicker & Burn!

Cold Fury in paperback will be released in June 2013 and Flicker & Burn comes roaring onto the scene in August 2013!

FLICKER & BURN

The thrill ride that began in Cold Fury kicks into high gear in Flicker & Burn, as the threats to Sara Jane Rispoli come at her from all directions. She continues the desperate search for her missing family, but this time she’s on the run from creepy beings with red, pulsing eyes and ghostly white skin chasing her through the streets of Chicago in black ice cream trucks – they can only be described as Ice Cream Creatures. They're skeletal and ferocious, hell-bent on catching or killing her, but also a weird link to her family, a clue to where they might be and who has them.

While Sara Jane battles these new pursuers, she learns painful lessons about the phenomenon that possesses her, cold fury. At the same time, she’s uncovering buried secrets about the misdeeds of her family – old murders and blood vendettas – that might be connected to the disappearance of her mom, dad, and brother. The mysteries, violence, and constant state of chasing or being chased could be the undoing of her relationship with handsome Max Kissberg. Despite the love growing between them, Sara Jane can’t tell him the truth about her life, and fears for his safety.

Not only do the Ice Cream Creatures display the grisly amputated finger of her mom to prove their viciousness, and not only does Lucky, the Outfit Boss of Bosses, whistle in Sara Jane for a sit-down with deadly consequences, but her gorgeous cousin, Heather Richards, enters the scene, as well. All that matters to Sara Jane is saving her family and keeping everyone she loves alive and safe. But the forces she encounters, both external and the ones crackling inside of her, fight her every step of the way.

Review: Obsidian

Obsidian (Lux, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Format: Paperback
Source: Book Expo America 2012
Buy It From Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★★☆

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes.

Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My first mistake going into Obsidian was expecting it to be the best book I've read! For this reason, it turned out to be a book that just didn't live up to the hype for me. Was it a fun, entertaining, and enjoyable read? Yes, most definitely. Was it OMG THE BEST BOOK EVER!? No, definitely not. While I really liked Obsidian, it did have its share of flaws.

I found that I didn't care for Daemon as much as I thought I would. Yes, he was hot, but he also had a severe case of the all too familiar male-jerk-syndrome. Sorry, but I just didn't fall for it this time. Why, oh why, would Katy be attracted to that? On a more positive note, him being such a jerk did lead to some fantastic interactions between the two! If there was one thing the author did especially right, it was the romance. Despite my dislike for both Katy and Daemon, I couldn't help but get sucked into their romance, snarky comments and all.

While I had multiple issues with the characters in Obsidian, it did feature a well-written, action-driven plot and an original premise. For this reason, I will definitely be checking out the next book, Onyx. Hopefully Daemon's attitude will level out enough for me to fully enjoy it!

Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. 
Format: ARC
Source: BEA 
Buy It From Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★☆☆

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Unfortunately, having enjoyed Maggie's Wolves of Mercy Falls series, I found The Raven Boys to be quite a disappointment. The difference may lie in listening to The Wolves of Mercy Falls series on audiobook verses reading The Raven Boys. Maggie has very gorgeous, beautiful writing, but at times it can be hard to follow. I found myself rereading sections several times just to understand what the heck was going on. Like the Scorpio Races, I almost stopped for this reason. When a book becomes work, I generally don't want to continue. I think I would have enjoyed this much better had I listened via audiobook.

The Raven Boys certainly gets points for originality. I can honestly say it has a story unlike any other. The mystery of it all drove me to push through what was ultimately a good story. I would recommend this book to most people, however, I would strongly recommend listening to it on audio! If you are up for the challenge, give reading it a shot, but it may leave you frustrated and disappointed like me.

Audiobook Review: Pandemonium

Pandemonium (Delirium, #2) by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Harper Audio
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Sarah Drew
Source: Purchased from Audible
Buy It From Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★★★

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

If I’ve learned to expect one thing from Lauren Oliver, it’s unbearable cliffhangers!  When you read Pandemonium I can almost guarantee you, like me, will end up begging for the next book!

Pandemonium was a slow start for me. At the beginning I felt that it just didn’t compare to the first book. Boy did I change my mind during the second half!! Just as Delirium was emotion filled, Pandemonium certainly had its moments as well. There were a few particular scenes that I struggled with… If you’ve read this you probably have an idea of what I’m talking about. The story wasn’t completely focused on emotion, however. There was plenty of action to keep me satisfied as well, even more so than the first book. 

Many new characters were introduced into Lena’s story. The character I found most intriguing, like many others, was Julian. I loved the contrast between the two: how each of them came from different backgrounds but managed to work together. I loved watching the suspicion between them melt away as they learned to trust one another!

I enjoyed Pandemonium just as much, if not better, than Delirium. The characters, action, and turn filled plot left me begging for more. As I mentioned earlier, be prepared for yet another cliffhanger! Yes, I am still recovering from it! Be sure to check out the Delirium series: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem (coming March 2013)!