Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Broken by A E Rought

Today, I've got a really awesome treat for you guys. Myself and seven other blogs are revealing the cover for BROKEN by A E Rought from the amazing awesome Strange Chemistry and I'm going to be hosting a giveaway for US/Canadian readers. Not one of those readers? I'll leave links to the other reveals and giveaways and maybe you can find someone giving an ARC away to where you are!

So without further ado, I give you the cover that makes me go squee, BROKEN by A E Rought:

Eep, holy cow and fantastic! Told you this cover was something to go crazy for. I am so in love with how the title is displayed like it's woven into the gate and the background is pretty amazing too! They used my favorite color (red), threw in some rose petals to really pop the white in the dress and made the model look like a dream. Wanna know the even better part? This novel is a modern retelling of Frankenstein!

Broken by A E Rought

Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein where a young couple's undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog. 

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's. 

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

 You can snag a copy of Broken in paperback or ebook format in January 2013.

But before we get to the ARC giveaway, I've got one more exclusive to share with you. Here's a snippet from Broken like one you might seen on Swoon Thursdays:

_________________________________________

IT DOESN’T BEAT FOR ME

A heavy breath escapes me, and if he wasn’t holding me so close, I might melt and pour from this dress.

Alex clings to me like I may honestly be a fairytale princess and when he lets go, I’m going to disappear. He pulls off one glove, tingles following his bare hand as it glides over the curve of my back, up my neck to tangle in my curls. He guides my head to his chest. Thunder rumbles in his heartbeat, and his electric surge slicks over my skin like warm oil.

Neither of us speak. Words have less meaning than time in his arms.

“There’s so much I want to say,” he whispers in my ear. I press my fingers to his lips. My heart jolts when Alex kisses them. Then he curls them in his gloved hand and holds my hand pressed above his heart. “Feel that? It doesn’t beat for me, Emma.”

______________________________________________

Awesome, right? I'm so excited to snag a copy of this book. It sounds epic and sweeping and romantic and just a little bit creepy sticking with the original Frankenstein. 

Giveaway Time!

So now on to how you can snag an ARC early. All you have to do is check out these rules and fill out the form. Oh and I should note that these pretty little ARC won't be ready for a month or so but you can bet that as soon as they are Strange Chemistry will send you one hot off the press!

Rules:

• Must be 13 years or older
• Must fill out the form
• May only enter once
• Must be either in the US or Canada

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So want even more chances to win or not from the US/Canada? Check out these blogs here and enter:
Writing from the Tub
Daisy Chain Book Reviews
My Book Journey
YA Reading Group
Chapter by Chapter
I Like These Books
Poisoned Rationality

Most of all, good luck!

Waiting on Wednesday: Magical Mayhem, The Sweetest Dark and Precinct 13

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where you can post about upcoming books you're looking forward to. This is a wonderful chance for blogger to show off what's coming out soon that they are excited about! Every week my wishlist balloons thanks to this awesome meme.

Magical Mayhem by Douglas Rees (& others)

Magical Mayhem is the first of many anthologies to come from new tween/teen publisher Ambush Books. Compiled from a wide assortment of emerging YA talent plus award-winning veteran authors, this anthology truly has something for everyone featuring short tales that will twist your brain and wrap around your soul. From the creepy jumble of Eldritch Black’s ‘Three Curses for Trixie Moon” to the gorgeous magical realism of Anna-Marie McLemore’s “Lovesick”, Magical Mayhem is the perfect bedtime companion for a cold autumn’s night.

Authors in this anthology include: Douglas Rees (Vampire High), Kait Nolan (Red), Linda Wisdom (50 Ways to Hex Your Lover), Marni Bates (Awkward), Mark Williams (Danger Boy), A.R. Kahler, Eldritch Black, Carol Wolf (Summoning), Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, Cecily White (Angel Academy), Rhonda Helms (Stupid Cupid), Laurie McLean (Knight Moves), H. Scott Beazley, Anna-Marie McLemore, Catherine Haines and more.

Magical Mayhem is out October 1st 2012 by Ambush Books.

I'm not usually an anthologies type of gal but this one sounds like a lot of fun. It's definitely something I'll be looking for and is perfect for Halloween.

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.” 

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems. 

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny. 

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves. 

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

The Sweetest Dark is out April 2nd 2013 by Random House Publishing Group.

This is going to sound funny but it's the "lush atmosphere" part at the bottom that really has me wanting this one. I love falling into a book and being entranced by that world and this one looks like it will do that for me!

Precinct 13 by Tate Halloway

Recent college grad Alex Conner is thrilled to have landed a job as the Hughes County coroner/medical examiner in Pierre, South Dakota. But when her first day on the job ends with a missing corpse, Alex starts to wonder if she would have been better off collecting unemployment... 

When the cops made some cryptic comments about being careful with the body they brought in, Alex just thought the boys in blue were messing with her. That is, until something freaky happens that no amount of med school could have prepared her for. By the time Alex gets herself together, the body has disappeared and the other residents of the morgue start talking her ear off. 

After working up the courage to report the missing body, Alex is transferred to the mysterious Precinct 13 where she discovers that her new co-workers—including a cute technomage named Jack—are paranormals just like her. Now, Alex is being encouraged to use her ability to speak to the dead to solve crimes. And despite being in the middle of nowhere, Hughes County sure does have a lot of paranormal activity…

Precinct 13 comes out August 7th 2012 by Berkley Trade.

This one doesn't sound like my usual kind of read but I think that's why I like it. It sounds quirky and fun and just a little bit grown up.

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (85): Once by Anna Carey

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page

Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBe careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles!

Once by Anna Carey

It didn't seem stupid, or foolish, or wrong. I'd said something I'd always known, the admission sending me into the happiest, irreversible free fall.

--Pg. 186 of an ACR of "Once" by Anna Carey

It's taking me quite a while to get through this book, not because it isn't wonderful but because I've been preparing for a rather huge test coming up for work. I hope to finish it soon though because I'm dying to figure out where Anna's story is heading!

What's your teaser?

Shelfmates# 9

Some covers just work together...and some, not so much. I've decided to start up a semi-regular feature called Shelfmates to showcase series covers. I love getting the sequel to a novel and putting it up next to the first book so I thought this might be a fun way to do that on my blog! So here are some series covers and my opinions on how they look as a couple (or series...)!

Stork by Wendy Delsol

I've always been a fan of these covers. I realize that there are a lot of covers with girl's faces in YA but for me, these are an example of faces done right. I feel like the offer more to look at than just the face in the colors and background which adds interest in a little bit of enhancement to them. Plus, I don't think any of these girl's are "typically" beautiful. They all are a little different which makes them interesting. Just as I love this series, I love their covers!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I've always thought that the first novel's cover was striking but not necessarily pretty. It stands out on a bookshelf, looks good in your hands but it never really made me drool. That isn't to say I don't like it, because I do, but I think especially if you are putting them side by side, the first cover doesn't live up to the second one. The intricate design on the girl's face and the sprawling text across her mouth is beautiful and interesting and really draws the eye. I like both of these covers but for me it's no contest when it comes to which one is better.

Anna by Kendare Blake

What I find so appealing about these covers is that if they had gone with a photograph instead of a drawing, it might have been too creepy and too gruesome. That they chose to illustrate them allows me not to have to bury the book flap underneath the covers as I read. I love the dynamic scene set up in the first cover because it instantly makes me wonder what is going on. I feel the same why about the second one but I almost wish Anna wasn't reaching out. Wouldn't it have been cooler if she was staring at the book with a stoic sort of look on her face? Regardless, I love them both and feel they really captured the book's feeling!

Medusa Girls by Tera Lynn Childs

It's funny, I was pretty much ready to tell you all how I loved the first cover and really didn't like these two together. But then I actually put them together and saw how they worked. I think the first one is a little more interesting than just a face but the second cover compliments the first one perfectly from the colors chosen to the word font on the title. So I guess this goes to show how useful a family get together can actually be!

Winterhaven by Kristi Cook

I think that the second cover is better than the first but I just don't find these covers very appealing. Admittedly, I haven't gotten a chance to read the novels yet and they may work completely for them but I just don't see the appeal because there isn't much to look at. I do really like the color combo of blue, green and purple in the second cover. 

Which set are your favorite that we discussed today? For me, it's a three way tie between Stork, Anna and Daughter of Smoke and Bone but if I had to chose, I think Anna comes out on top!

A Fairy Tale in Photos- Mulan

I'm looking for something fun to do on Fridays and I figured that this might be something interesting. As you all can probably tell by the theme of this blog, I really love fairy tales. I've been looking through Deviantart and thought it might be fun to pick a fairy tale and showcase pictures I like from it.

tabeck

EminenceRain

LalaAdanwenB

JoLuffiroSauce

EdKPhotography

BellesAngel

mrpink627

KwapiKwapisz

Zouie-chan

collin-kerr

PinkUnicornPrincess

BellesAngel

JoLuffiroSauce

peireaus

emsvangoth

princesspomegranate

EdKPhotography

iceeFRESH

Fruits-Punch-Samurai

As you can see, there weren't as many interesting photos for Mulan yet but here are some of the ones I could find. I like the last one a lot and I'm also fond of the photo of her hand. I think it's beautiful.

Which are your favorites?

Cover Alert: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

The cover for Clockwork Princess has come out today and it is a beauty! Check it out:

I'm not usually a fangirl over these covers but holy crap, this might be the most beautiful cover I've ever seen for these books. Maybe my favorite this year. Everything is perfect from the light shining from the open book to the deep red of the period dress to the gorgeous up do and ethereal look on the mode's face. This is just perfect all around and I could stare at it for week's and not get bored. In love, round of applause, heck yes on a stick!

Check out the covers all in a pretty row:

Gets even better, doesn't it? What do you think of the new cover?

Shelfmates #8

Some covers just work together...and some, not so much. I've decided to start up a semi-regular feature called Shelfmates to showcase series covers. I love getting the sequel to a novel and putting it up next to the first book so I thought this might be a fun way to do that on my blog! So here are some series covers and my opinions on how they look as a couple (or series...)!

Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I might be one of the only ones out there that is underwhelmed by these covers but they just really don't appeal to me. I really like the concept and I've heard that Cinder is very good. I like the idea of these covers since they showcase the shoe and red riding hood cape but I'm just not wild about the execution. 

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

I'm in love with these covers. I love that they feel really modern and cool but sort of fantasylike at the same time. I've always been a fan of the whirly aether in the first one and I'm glad to see that they carried it over for the second, plus, you gotta love Perry! I think these two compliment each other very nicely.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Holy Batman, these are two gorgeous covers. I know that the pretty dress trend has been done to death but if you are going to do it, then do it right! Everneath and Everbound definitely got the memo and are on it. I love that they kept the same smoke and Greek-like whispies from the first novel and added it to the second. I also think that the different colored dresses and slightly different pose compliment each other. A big yes please for me!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

For me, these are another example of pretty dresses done right. I like that we get the copy of the swirly print in all three titles and the repeat of the feather sticking somewhere. I'm also liking the pale muted colors almost like sepia from a camera but in different colors. Another set I can't get enough of!

Partials by Dan Wells

I was thinking I liked these covers until I put them side by side and saw that they didn't really bother to change the girl at all. I mean, I guess there are slight changes but not enough to make it count. I like the hard edge sci-fi vibe the cover is giving off but I wish there was a little more variety. 

So there are some covers side by side. Overall, I think the Everneath and Under the Never Sky covers got it right for me. Which ones do you like and which do you find lacking?