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Friday, January 27, 2012

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

As a writer of YA and a moderator on yalitchat, you can be sure that YA lit is my passion. So of course, I HAD to join in the Young Adult Giveaway Hop hosted by Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Down the Rabbit Hole.  (Plus, there's a really pretty, ethereal badge.)
Ok, for many of you, this won't come as a surprise, but... the prize this time is a copy of DESTINED.  The novel has been getting rave reviews and is consistently one of the Kindle best sellers for children's (YA) romance.  So if you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I want to give you that opportunity. For FREE.

Details:

* If the winner is from the U.S., they will receive an autographed, paperback copy of DESTINED and a bookmark.

* If the winner lives outside the U.S., I will send them a copy of the novel from The Book Depository (if they ship to your country -- if not, please do not enter).

* Entrants should be 13 or older.

* Winner must respond to my notification email within 48 hours, or I will select a new winner.

So what are you waiting for?  Fill out that rafflecopter form and then get yourself hopping to another blog for more chances to win awesome YA novels.



Thursday, January 26, 2012

Recommendation ~ MY ENCHANTED LIFE by Laura Eno

My Enchanted Life is a light-hearted and fun read for anyone who enjoys paranormal romance - particularly YA.


Goodreads Description: 
An American teen finds herself thrust into a world she never knew existed in England's magical community of Wode Gate. While dealing with gnomes, a cranky dragon, murder and mayhem, Emma tries to cope with her unwanted duties as Sentinel and fights to get back home again. 
She finds that things aren't always what they seem, people aren't who they pretend to be, and someone wants her dead. The king of the underworld wants her too, but he may be the least of her problems as Emma struggles to control her powers—while losing her heart to a demon.

Laura Eno's writing style drew me in immediately. Despite being Indie published, her editing was flawless and I was very impressed by the overall quality of the novel.

In this book, the main character, Emma, finds out on her 18th birthday that she has inherited a house in England and a powerful heritage. When she arrives at her new estate, she's greeted by every manner of enchanted creature you can imagine (except weres and vampires). But elves, sirens, dragons, shape shifters, and even demons, make an appearance. And the house -- it's quite simply enchanted. Eno's descriptions of the creatures and home make you feel like you're really there without slowing down the story.

The twists and turns in the story were also fun and added to the suspense. If I had to pin point the one thing that I didn't quite love, it was that the novel was so lighthearted, I never really believed that Emma was in that great of danger, even when she was. So, the suspense wasn't quite as protected as I would have liked.

But bottom line, I'd say that fans of Ella Enchanted, classic fairy tales, or younger YA in general, will probably really enjoy this novel.  Kindle readers can pick up a copy for just $2.99.


**FTC Disclaimer: Laura provided me with an e-copy of her novel in exchange for my honest review.**

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Happy Debut YA Book Birthday

What debut YA novels does the last full week in January have in store for us? Well, let's go see...
How about these??

Everneath by Brodi Ashton (I'm suffering from some serious cover love for this novel ~ hence, it's jumbo size appearance.)

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.


Daughter of Centaurs (Centauriad #1) by Kate Klimo (this is Kate's debut YA book birthday, although she has published novels in other genres)


Malora knows what she was born to be: a horse wrangler and a hunter, just like her father. But when her people are massacred by batlike monsters called Leatherwings, Malora will need her horse skills just to survive. The last living human, Malora roams the wilderness at the head of a band of magnificent horses, relying only on her own wits, strength, and courage. When she is captured by a group of centaurs and taken to their city, Malora must decide whether the comforts of her new home and family are worth the parts of herself she must sacrifice to keep them.

Kate Klimo has masterfully created a new world, which at first seems to be an ancient one or perhaps another world altogether, but is in fact set on earth sometime far in the future.

Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James (this is Ryan's debut YA book birthday)

She should not exist.
He should not love her.
Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.
Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire into his plans. . . .
Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?


So, did I just convince you to add to your ever-growing TBR pile?

Friday, January 20, 2012

J.A. Souders' Cover Reveal Scavenger Hunt

SQUEE!!  I am so excited and honored to be a part of my Oasis Sister's cover reveal scavenger hunt for her debut YA novel, RENEGADE.  Even I haven't seen the full cover, but if this piece is any indication, I am going to LOVE IT!!

Awesome, right?  Well, as great as the full cover is going to be, it won't be nearly as lovely as Jessica, who is just an awesome person!


J.A. Souders was born in the heartland with an overactive imagination and an over abundance of curiosity that was always getting her into trouble.  She first began writing at the age of 13, when she moved to Florida and not only befriended the monsters under the bed, but created worlds for them to play together.  
Because she never grew up, she decided she’d put her imaginary friends to work and started writing.  She still lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees with her husband and their two children and is an active member of the RWA, CFRW, YARWA and SCBWI.  
She is represented by Natalie Lakosil of the Bradford Literary Agency.  Her debut book, RENEGADE, surfaces Fall 2012 from Tor Teen.


Now, If you are ready for a scavenger hunt, simply visit the following blogs and collect a word along with the puzzle pieces and head over to the three blogs hosting the giveaway on Monday.

The scavenger hunt word for this blog stop is: PERFECT

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Check it Out -- The Green by Karly Kirkpatrick

Hello everyone -- I just wanted to do a quick shout out for my Indelibles sister, Karly Kirkpatrick.  Her new YA contemporary novel, THE GREEN, came out this week, and it sounds awesome!!


How far would you go to save your dream?

Seventeen-year-old Ariceli Pisa is a senior at the prestigious Cambridge High School and has her sights set on Northwestern University. She's a cheerleader, a member of the National Honor Society...and a drug dealer. That's not the only secret she has to keep from her best friend Naomi--she’s also madly in love with Naomi’s ex-boyfriend, James Bartlett. Trying to balance her life at Cambridge High with her new demanding job keeps her teetering on the edge of disaster.

THE GREEN is available in ebook format at the following retailers for $3.99:
 Amazon                                                                                    Barnes & Noble
 Also available on Amazon UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

For more info about Karly and her books, check out www.karlykirkpatrick.com and www.darksidepublishing.com.