Shiver and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

When I first set out to write this review, I kept hitting a roadblock when trying to express just what it is that I love about this series and its characters. In my head I know exactly why, but trying to put it into words has proven to somewhat difficult.

Maggie Stiefvater took a legend that we've all become accustomed to (from other books and some badly done reenactments done in Hollywood) and made it her own.

This story, this series really, is about so much more than werewolves and the way she writes it, you almost find yourself wondering if it could actually happen.

Shiver is about hope and love, loneliness and longing, heat and shivering.

Two of her main characters, Grace Brisbane and Sam Roth, are two halves of a whole that seemed to have been waiting for each other their entire lives. Grace is the girl who was bitten by wolves that lived in the woods behind her parents house and miraculously never shifted into one of them. Sam wasn't so lucky. He spent his life raised by them, forming a new family when his no longer accepted him. He is the wolf she used to see outside her bedroom window with the beautiful yellow eyes, and she's the girl that he longed to be near. After the death of one of the local boys in Mercy Falls, Sam and Grace find themselves thrust together by impossible circumstances and do everything that they can to keep them together.

The other main character, the thing they have to fight against throughout the story, is the cold. Each bout of shivers brings him one step closer to that horrible shift, the change he can't bear to go through.   Not only is the first installment of this series incredibly enthralling, it's also beautifully written. There's no other way of describing Maggie Stiefvater's writing than to say it's lyrical. Her prose his fluid and smooth, bringing to life the world that she's created. I found myself wanting to fight off the cold and hold Sam in arms right along with Grace.

And in her second installment, Linger, she picks up right where Shiver left off. Only this time things are a little bit different, and there's a new wolf to contend with. Cole.

If Shiver was about hope, then I think Linger was about acceptance. Written in just as a beautiful a lyrical style as the first book, Maggie Stiefvater continues Grace and Sam's journey to understand themselves. Sam tries to come to grips with the reality that he is no longer a wolf and Grace deals with a cold, that turns out to be so much more.

She's always been the strong one, so assured and in control. Now that Sam has to be the one, especially not knowing Beck's fate, he's even more lost than before.

With Grace's absentee parents trying to step up to the plate and learning that there's more to Cole than any of them originally thought, Linger takes you on an even more emotional journey than you could have imagined. The ending leaves you breathless and wondering just what's going to happen next. Now I find myself longing for the final book, Forever, in this incredible series.

Waiting isn't going to be easy, but I know that I'll be in good company as other fan's wait in anticipation. If you're looking for a beautiful love story, one that's about so much more than fantasy and destiny, then I highly recommend Shiver and Linger. You won't be able to put them down.

To learn more about Maggie Stiefvater and her writing you can check out her website : http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/ her blogs: http://maggiestiefvater.blogspot.com/, http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/ and the Shiver microsite: http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/shiver/

Oh, and as a little treat I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from the book tour that Maggie did to promote Linger.

Mailbox Surprises and New Reads

So on Friday and Monday I was very pleased and surprised to find advanced copies of a couple of books in my mailbox. I hadn't been expecting them, but was so glad to get them anyways.

The first one was the second book in Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series "Crescendo"!

And then the second one was the sequel for The Body Finders by Kimberly Derting "Desires of the Dead"!

Both of these books look absolutely fabulous and I cannot wait to read them and post my reviews. I fell in love with how sweet and thrilling The Body Finder and am sure that the sequel will be just as wonderful. So, keep your eyes open for those reviews.

Also, while I was in the bookstore today I found a few that I had on my to-read list and decided to flip through them to see if I still really wanted to. After a few minutes I confirmed that each one of them was definitely a must read for me. Not only that, but I found myself wanting to leave with all three of them. It was difficult, but I held myself back from getting all of them for the time being.

The first one that I can't wait to start was Firelight by Sophie Jordan. And in just the first few pages I was completely hooked.

The next book was Halo by Alexandra Adornetto. The author may only be eighteen, but she writes well beyond her years.

And the book that I left with was Nevermore by Kelly Creagh. It's a little strange, a little dark, a little Edgar Allen Poe. Yeah, I'm definitely reading it!

Oh, and next week (the 28th) Torment by Lauren Kate is being released. It's the sequel to her book Fallen, there are two more books to follow in this amazing series.

Smart Chicks Kick It Tour

As most of you know the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour is well underway and they are making their way through the U.S., promoting their awesome books and helping to inspire women to follow their dreams. I was fortunate enough to attend one of the stops in Texas with my sister and couldn't be more thrilled that I was able to go.

In Houston the fabulous ladies that attended included:

• Melissa Marr
• Kelly Armstrong
• Alyson Noel
• Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Holly Black
• Sarah Rees Brennan
• Cassandra Clare

These ladies did everything that they could to make the even exciting and fun for everyone. From offering wonderful prizes to answer crowd questions, they kept us laughing and thrilled to learn just a little bit more about our favorite authors.

Since this was also a book signing, I was able to get some signed, including one for my sis.

Being able to attend this even was absolutely thrilling for me, each of these ladies were so amazing and kind for doing it.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Absolutely fabulous!

I fell in love with this book from the very beginning and it's not difficult to figure out why. Not only is the cover art for this debut novel breathtaking, but the story itself is intriguing and wonderfully researched.

Calla Tor is an alpha for the Nightshade pack, Guardians, she leads her young pack and is the perfect warrior for the Keepers they are sworn to fight for. Everything is planned and provided for them, including who they'll mate with, and when Calla unthinkingly saves a human from a bear attack, she sets things in motion that were probably better left unknown.

With her union to Ren, the alpha for the young Bane pack, coming up soon, she can't afford to have any distractions. And that's what Shay Doran is, the human that she saved. And to her disappointment (and pleasure) he ends up being the one the Keepers ask Calla to protect from their enemies the Searchers.

This is a story of duty and responsibility, of following your heart and falling in love, of secrets and betrayal. Andrea Cremer does an absolutely amazing job of describing the world she's created; everything from the shifts between wolf and human, the hierarchy of Keepers, Searchers, and Guardians, even the contrast between Calla's feelings toward Ren and Shay. There's so much more going on then Calla or the other guardians know, and Andrea Cremer goes into just enough detail to leave you wanting to know more.

I was so disappointed when I got to the last page and realized that I had reached the end of of this amazing book and found myself wishing that Wolfsbane (Book 2) was already out. I can't say enough good things about this book, and I don't want to give anything away, but if you're looking for a unique tale about magic and wolves then this would be it. For more information on the release of Nightshade, Andrea Cremer, and any other tid bits you can check out her website: http://www.andreacremer.com/ and her blog:
http://blurredhistory.blogspot.com/

New Moon Giveaway

Once upon a Twilight blog is having an awesome giveaway for reaching 500 followers! A signed hardcover copy of New Moon! I don't know about you, but mine paperback copy is falling apart and I would be beyond ecstatic to get not only a hardcover, but one signed by the fabulous Stephenie Meyer at that.

So, stop by the blog at fill out the form to enter the contest. You have until September 26th to do so. The link is on the sidebar.

White Cat by Holly Black

The world that Holly Black created with The Curse Workers Series is both dark and mysterious, a fantastic read that leaves you wondering what's going to happen next.

Everyone knows that there are curse workers, they could be anyone anywhere, all they need is a sliver of skin... And because of that everyone wears thick leather gloves, at all times. Cassel Sharpe has always been careful of that, so who could have possibly worked him, especially since he isn't a curse worker himself, unlike the rest of his family. So when he wakes up on the ledge of the roof to his dormitory, he knows something has gone really wrong.

Cassel may not be a worker, but he's no stranger to picking out "marks" and pulling cons on those around him, the way his mother taught him. And since he killed his best friend, Lila, a few years earlier that's all he thinks that he can do.

There's only so much I can say without giving away what happens in the story, and you definitely want to figure it out for yourself. In this story of betrayal, mobsters, and magic, Cassel has quite a few mysteries to uncover, including who the white cat is that keeps showing up in his dreams. He doesn't know who he can trust and what he'll uncover, but he definitely wants to make things right.

I don't really know what else I can say except that I absolutely loved this first installment of The Curse Workers series and can't wait for more. Cassel Sharpe is a superbly complex character, set to drift through life doing mostly small time cons, but as he begins to uncover the truth behind things he had always thought to be true he realizes things have to change. He has definitely become one of my favorite male characters in a story and I can't wait to find out what else happens.

To learn more about Holly Black and her other works check out her website: http://www.blackholly.com/
or her blog: http://blackholly.livejournal.com/139571.html for her updates.

Babling Flow ARCs Contest

Yes, I know that I've already written a post on some of the fabulous ARCs that are up for grabs, but I thought I'd talk about it just a little bit more. Including Beautiful Darkness and Nightshade, some of the other books that are being offered include:

Rot & Ruin:

A teenager grows up in a post-apocalypic, zombie-infested America in Jonathan Maberry's Rot & Ruin.

Jane:

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.

and The Winds of Heaven:

Clementine thinks her cousin Fan is everything that she could never be: beautiful, imaginative, wild. The girls promise to be best friends and sisters after the summer is over, but Clementine’s life in the city is different from Fan’s life in dusty Lake Conapaira. And Fan is looking for something, though neither she nor Clementine understands what it is.        
If you don't get a chance to check these and the other books being offered by the contest early, be sure to purchase them when they are released. They are all bound to be incredible.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

When I first picked up this book I wasn't really sure what to expect, but once I started reading I just couldn't stop. The chemistry between Nora and Patch practically drips off of the pages and with each chapter you're left wondering just what is going on.

Nora and Patch first meet when they are randomly paired as lab partners and she is instantly faced with his standoffish behavior. He's beautiful and terrifying, yet Nora can't help being drawn to him. And after their first encounter Nora finds her life in danger when her car is slammed into on the way home. It's unexplainable and scary, leaving her afraid to say anything and then unable to remember what happened.

Vee, Nora's best friend, is also trying to get her a "life" by pushing her to hand out with Elliot, the new guy at school. But each encounter with these new guys in Nora's life seem to result in something bad happening to her; an attack in her home, or on Vee. Living all alone with her mother in an out of the way farmhouse seems to be the perfect setting for these incidents to occur, as well.

So, the question is, who is after her and why?

Becca Fitzpatrick's world of fallen angels and humans is how I would have always pictured them; dark and brooding, dangerous and sexy, angry and terrifying. She weaves a fascinating tale, integrating angel mythology/history with everyday life as we know it.

Only a little bit of the story is revealed in this first book, including Nora's background, but there is one question still left unanswered by the end.

What really happened the night that her dad was held at gun point, and subsequently murdered? It's mentioned early on, but not really explored in depth. And now that the sequel's, Crescendo, release is around the corner, I have a feeling that and more will be revealed.

I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something different to read, once you get started you won't be able to put it down. To learn more about the books and Becca Fitzpatrick you can check out her site and even subscribe for email alerts on news updates: http://www.beccafitzpatrick.com/ and you can also follow her on twitter: @becfitzpatrick.

Reading Teen Casters Contest

With the next book in the Caster Chronicles coming out next month, there are quite a few contests going on for the chance to read an advance copy of Beautiful Darkness. I fell in love with Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's first book and can't wait to read the next ones.

This contest is over at Reading Teen and all you have to do to enter is write a comment. They are not only offering a SIGNED copy of Beautiful Darkness, but also swag including a signed poster and other such memorabilia. The link to the contest is on the side of this blog.

Contest ends October 11th!

Thanks and good luck!

Angel Fest Contest

Yes, that's right, another contest and there are some awesome books being offered to the winners. Torment, the sequel to Fallen by Lauren Kate, and Crescendo, the sequel to Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. If you are interested in any of these books then stop by and check it out:http: http://koreenclemens.com/2010/09/01/angel-fest/


The deadline to entry is September 15th at 11:59 Mountain Time. It's really easy to enter!