Cover Reveal: Abandon

Thanks to AToMR for hosting this cover reveal. I'm happy to be a part of the reveal for the cover of the final book in the Possession trilogy by Elana Johnson.
  
Summary: 

seduced by power,

broken by control,

and consumed by love...

Vi has made her choice between Jag and Zenn, and the Resistance may have suffered for it. But with the Thinkers as strong as ever, the rebels still have a job to do. Vi knows better than anyone that there's more at stake than a few broken hearts. 

But there is a traitor among them...and the choices he makes could lead to the total destruction of everything Vi has fought for.

Vi, Jag, and Zenn must set their problems aside for the Resistance to have any hope of ending the Thinkers' reign. Their success means everything...and their failure means death.

And here's the fabulous cover:

ALSO: Elana is running a Pinterest contest for the cover. She wants to get 500 pins (or repins) over the next two days. If we can get that many, she'll pick someone who pinned the cover to win a $50 Amazon gift card.  It's so easy to do this. All you have to do is click this PIN IT button and select one of your boards to pin the cover to. Elana has done everything else! Don't have a Pinterest board yet? Put it on your Tumblr page. Your Facebook page. Your twitter stream. Elana will count those too! Just be sure to tag her (@ElanaJ on twitter, Possession by Elana Johnson on Facebook).

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy

His Fair Assassin 1

Author: Robin LaFevers 
Pages: 549 pgs
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Release Date: April 3rd 2012
Review Source: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The description of this it what first drew me in. It sounding dark and dangerous and intriguing. After reading it, I can say that it is all of those things and so much more.

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Historical fiction is slowly becoming one of my favorite genres in YA fiction. There's so much that can be done with it. I loved how Robin managed to bring fantasy and mythology into an historical story, giving an interesting and fun twist to it.

This also includes her beautiful writing and easily it flowed. With some books, I've found myself confused and having to flip back to keep certain characters or scenes straight, but not with Grave Mercy. Robin did a fabulous job of weaving everything intricately and clearly for readers so that you don't get lost.

In a time when women are seen as nothing but genteel and the property of men, Ismae breaks the mold. She and her fellow trainees are trained to be handmaidens to Mortain and we get an inside look at that: their lessons and training as well as their first assignments. I loved seeing where she'd started out before going to the convent and how much she'd changed while being there. It really helped to explain her devotion to them.

While we do get intrigue and mystery, we also get a sweet romance that is essential to Isame and her journey. Everything that the sisters taught her at the convent can't prepare her for what the outside world brings, including the handsome Duval. What she thought she knew about Mortain, and men for that matter, was put to the test and I enjoyed seeing it unfold.

I definitely became a fan of Robin's after reading this and can't wait to continue the journey for His Fair Assassin. 

Robin LaFevers

 Website | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

Who Will You Entice Blog Tour: Review

 

Entice

The Violet Eden Chapters 2

Author: Jessica Shirvington 
Pages: 439 pgs
Genre: YA, Fantasy,
Release Date: September 4th 2012
Review Source: Sourcebooks

After finishing the debut of this series, Embrace, I could not wait to find out what was in store for these characters in the second installment. And Jessica did not disappoint!

Violet Eden is Grigori - part angel, part human. Her destiny is to protect humans from the vengence of exiled angels.

Knowing who to trust is key but, when Grigori reinforcements arrive, it becomes clear everyone is hiding something. Even Lincoln. The only thing Violet does know: Phoenix's hold over her is more dangerous than ever.

The race to find the one thing that could tilt the balance of power brings them all to the sacred mountains of Jordan, where Violet's power will be pushed to the extreme. And the ultimate betrayal exposed.

From the moment I started reading this I pulled right back into the amazing world that Jessica created and didn't want to put it down. Everything from the characters to the world building was just amazingly done and I hated to reach the end.

As I mentioned in my giveaway post earlier this month, the amazing chemistry between Violet and Lincoln is clear from the very beginning. I've read books where I've liked certain characters to be together or it's just obvious that they will be by the end. From the moment Lincoln entered the story, the connection that he and Violet shared practically leaped right off of the page. There's so much more to their relationship and you get that with each moment, each specific word choice that Jessica uses.

We also get to learn a whole lot more about the Grigori world and Violet's background. I loved getting more into the mythology and meeting other characters that are a part of their world. We got to hear about it and understand some of it in Embrace, but in this second installment we are thrust into the thick of it and get to see how intense it could be.

There is so much more that I could say, but I don't want to give anything away. Just know that The Violet Eden Chapters, or The Embrace Series, offers readers a little bit of everything and is up there as one of my favorite series of the year.

Though I seem to mention it with each review, I am on pins an needles for the next book, Emblaze. I have a feeling that each book just gets better than the last and if that's the case, I'm even more excited. The world building and character development are just top notch and getting my hands on book 3 would just absolutely make my year! 

And with Jessica touring in the U.S. this month, I'm beyond thrilled to get to meet her on her last stop at the Austin Teen Book Festival. So exciting!  

Cover Reveal: Fireblood

Time for another cover reveal! From the author of Destiny's Fire, Trisha Wolfe has a new YA book coming our way: Fireblood.

Fireblood: Fireblood #1

By Trisha Wolfe

Release Date: 2013

From Spencer Hill Press

 

Description: To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

And now here is the gorgeous cover:

To learn more about the author you can check out her website Trisha Wolfe or follow her on Twitter.

Cover Reveal: Reaping Me Softly

Today I am excited to get to help reveal another gorgeous cover! Thanks to AToMR Tours for hosting. Here is the gorgeous cover for Reaping Me Softly by Kate Evangelista:

Description: 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?

Blog Tour: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass 1

Author: Sarah J. Maas 
Pages: 416 pgs
Genre: YA, Fantasy,
Release Date: August 7th 2012
Review Source: NetGalley

From the moment I read the description of this I was completely sold. It sounded unlike anything I'd seen... and I was right. Such an incredible debut and a promise for so much more.

Celaena Sardothien is a feared assassin at only 18 years old and after serving time doing hard labor in prison, she finally has the chance at freedom from Prince Dorian.

Celaena has to compete to be the king's champion against other assassins and thieves, who are men. Training with the captain of the guard isn't so bad and even the attention that Prince Dorian shows her makes things a bit more interesting. But when champions start showing up dead Celaena has even more to work toward besides her freedom.

The world that Sarah has created was beyond intriguing, even including the fact that it originally started out as a twist on Cinderella. The different countries and languages, histories and cultures, even the use of magic. Everything was so uniquely created for the reader and felt so real, I almost wanted to live there myself.

And the characters really brought that home for me. Celaena was a tough female character that was beautiful, smart and mysterious. Not everything about her gets revealed in this first book and I loved that. There's no doubt for me that we'll get to learn more about her as the series continues and I definitely can't wait.

I also want to learn more about the two love interests, Prince Dorian and Chaol Westfall. Two very different men that play such an important role for Celaena. There's more to them than meets the eye and this is only the beginning of the story!

I loved the fact that there was a little bit of everything for the reader: romance, action, mystery, fantasy. None of it was over done, but it all combined to add so much to the overall world and story. While there is so much more story to be told, the fact that Throne of Glass didn't end on a major cliffhanger was a huge plus for me. I am excited for the next book and can't wait to find out what's in store for them next, but it can be done patiently (somewhat patiently).

Sarah J. Maas
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter