Happily Ever Endings... The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Happily Ever Endings... was born out of sheer frustration. You know how when you read a series and you love it but the last book takes a little while to come out and then you sort of forget parts of the novel? That's what these posts are going to serve to remedy. Happily Ever Ending... is a short post about what happened at the ending of each book that is going to be in a series for people who need a quick reminder of what happened in the previous installment. I hope this saves someone else the frustration that I went through!

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger. 

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

Click "Read more" to read the ending of The Faerie Ring so you'll be ready for the next installment of the series! 

Book News

Here's the latest book news going around the web and there is a ton of it! I'm sure I'm missing a lot of things but here's what I've seen, heard and gathered up for you guy to enjoy!

Strange Chemistry is a YA imprint of Angry Robot who is just booting up to give us some awesome books at the end of this year. I've been slacking on announcement lately but here's some of the things they have cooking up!

September-

Shift by Kim Curran-

Her debut novel, Shift is the tale of your average, 16-year old loser Scott Tyler. When he meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he’s not quite so average after all. He’s a ‘Shifter’. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world quickly starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands. 

Shift is a page-turning, kick-ass SF thriller novel with a very down-to-earth male protagonist. It will be published Autumn 2012, with a sequel to follow in 2013.

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond-

On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.
Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other. 

Blackwood is a dark, witty coming of age story that combines America’s oldest mystery with a thoroughly contemporary romance.

October-

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings-

Julie is an apprentice witch – or so she believes. When a dark power comes stalking out of the past to haunt her and her mother, Julie learns that she is far more than just a witch. With the help of her best friend Marcus and a rather unusual Great Dane, Julie has to race against time to ensure she can defeat the bad guy, save her mother and avoid being grounded – again!

Just announced-

Katya's World by Johnathon L Howard-

The distant and unloved colony world of Russalka has no land, only the raging sea. No clear skies, only the endless storm clouds. Beneath the waves, the people live in pressurised environments and take what they need from the boundless ocean. It is a hard life, but it is theirs and they fought a war against Earth to protect it. But wars leave wounds that never quite heal, and secrets that never quite lie silent. 

Katya Kuriakova doesn’t care much about ancient history. She is making her first submarine voyage as an apprentice navigator; the first nice, simple journey of what she expects to be a nice, simple career. But there is nothing nice and simple about the deep, black waters of Russalka and soon she will encounter pirates and war criminals, see death and tragedy at first hand, and realise that her world’s future lies on the narrowest of knife edges. 

For in the crushing depths lies a sleeping monster, an abomination of unknown origin. And when it wakes, it will seek out and kill every single person on the planet…

 HarperTeen is also brewing up some awesome things for February. Like what you ask? Well, how about finding out your perfect HarperTeen read?

Go to the Facebook page here and take the quiz to find out your perfect read! I took the test and found out my crush is Epic Fail by LaZebnik. See what yours is!

Also, check out their Epic Reads Month of Love giveaways going on. This is also through Facebook.

HarperCollins is also talking about Lauren Oliver's short story she wrote entitled Hana. This is centered around Lena's best childhood friend. They are so excited about it, in fact, that if enough people pre-order Pandemonium, MTV.com will be posting Hana for free on Valentine's Day!

Check out all the details on Lauren Oliver's blog.

Ever heard of a little book called Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl? Yes? Well then you should get excited because it is being made into a movie and people have already been cast! (Mortal Instrument producers/people, learn from this please because we are still waiting)

According to FirstShowing.net, the leads for this beloved YA novel have been found!

Jack O'Connell has been cast in the role of Ethan and Alice Englert has been cast as Lena. Both are new comers. Jack O'Connell has been in Skins and a few other movies. Englert has been in even less.

All this is just coming off the news that Viola Davis is attached to the picture to star as Amma.

What do you guys think about the casting? I'm a bad blogger and haven't gotten a chance to read these novels yet so I have no idea. I have to say though, I'm pretty dang excited!

There's all the bookish news I know right now. Hope this enlightened you!

Swoon Thursday (10): Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

The ladies over at YA Bound created a sexy meme where you share what made you tingle in your current read. If you want to join in, here is what you do:From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog!

This week, I've just finished Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler. I want to say some things about this novel and not give you guys the wrong idea but I don't want to spoil anything. Suffice to say, my Swoon is really sweet this week and I hope you enjoy!

Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Inside the bag, there's a square, gold box that's filled with rows and rows of heart-shaped Belgian chocolates, just the dark mocha one that I like, and not Billy's usual little box missing the pilfered truffles. This box is entirely full of perfect candies, perfect hearts, completely perfect. And on the gold-striped paper that lines the lid, he's written "You're the one".

--Pg. 249 of an ARC of "Where It Began" by Ann Redisch Stampler

Sweet right? What girl doesn't like receiving her favorite kind of chocolate. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

What's your swoon this week?

The Time Will Come (32): Dust City by Robert Paul Weston

The Time Will Come is a weekly meme started by Books for Company which spotlights books that have been sitting unread on our shelves for too long.

Want to join in?:
- Pick a book you have been meaning to read
- Do a post telling us about the book
- Link the post up in the linky at Books for Company
- Visit the other blogs!

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? 

His son, that's who. 

Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves . . . until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed. 

Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone-and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner. 

Can Henry solve the mystery of his family's sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf?

 I always thought this book looked so cool and fresh. I haven't gotten a chance to read it because I've only gotten to read ARCs lately (and my tbr pile is huge) but this is still one that looks really good to me. Plus, I love that it's guy friendly. Still one I'm waiting to read!

What's been on your shelf too long?

Team Luc Post & Signed Bookmark Giveaway

Brodie over at Eleusinian Mysteries and Lisa at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me are holding a fabulous February Event and part of it is love triangles debates. 

I've hosted these before but have never signed up to participate. So I decided, what the heck, and took the plunge. I got matched with one of the hottest guys around, Luc Cain, of Lisa Desrochers incredible series Personal Demons.So I wrote up a debate for him. You can check out the full post here (with Gabe's side and vote for the winner) but here is my post which I'm pretty dang proud of. Oh, and there is a giveaway at the bottom.

The name Luc Cain rolls off your tongue and just oozes sex appeal. You can already tell that what's coming is bad in the very beast way possible. And Luc has "so bad he's good" written all over him. He's literally "hotter than hell" and he knows because he's been there.

From the Personal Demons series by Lisa Desrochers, Luc is a demon from Hell sent to tempt Frannie over to the dark side by any means possible.Wrapped in the oh-so-tempting tall, dark, and handsome package, it's pretty easy to see why Frannie falls hard.

A smug little grin to kill, dark hair and deep dark eyes, I see Luc looking something like Grey Damon, who just has that look about him like he's up to nothing good.

While Gabe has this whole, breathe of fresh air thing going for him, Luc is about passion and heat. Gabe might be steady but he's also predictable. Luc is also always there but you never know what he's going to say or do next. As a demon his body heat is way hotter than a normal human which is perfect to snuggle up to. He looks good and he knows it which makes him come off as cocky-- after all, his Sin of choice is Pride--but he's intelligent and has a whip sharp tongue to match.

Don't believe me? There are plenty of examples in the book:

“Sii la mia schiava d’amore,” I purr.
Her expression is guarded. “What did you say?”
An amused smile pulls at my lips. “I’ll never tell.” Somehow, I don’t think she’d agree to be my love slave anyway.”

--Pg. 148 of "Personal Demons" by Lisa Desrochers

Yup, that's right. He speaks a different language, he reads and he paints. Sure, it's Hell he paints over his bed but it's just because he misses home.

But underneath all that sizzle is the one thing that will always set Luc apart from Gabe. It's isn't his charm or his heat or passionate. It's his love. Or rather, that he can. Because here's the ultimate thing: Luc loved Frannie when it  wasn't even possible.

Being a demon, love doesn't exist for them. They obey the devil out of fear and the other demons sometimes couple off out of lust but love doesn't exist in that fiery pit of Hell. Any yet, Luc falls for Frannie, seeing her beauty even when he is a demon. While mingling his soul with hers he comments:

I seek out her essence--her soul. And when I find it, it takes me breath away. I've never experienced anything close to its beauty: shimmering opalescent white shot through with silver... My slick, black obsidian essence swirls and twines with hers, and I'm embarrassed by the thick, oily fell of it compared to the silk of hers.

--Pg. 153 of "Personal Demons" by Lisa Desrochers

Sure, his love has a little to do with Frannie's power but he wouldn't continue loving her if he didn't want to. Because even when he leaves and is forced back to Hell and tortured by the devil himself to change out of his human form, Luc resists because he doesn't want to lose his love for Frannie.

He respects her strength, loves her vivacity, and goes against his own nature to make himself better for her. Where there is no love, he manages to find it and hold onto it with every last ounce of his energy, forsaking all else for her.

Why is Luc the better choice? Because like any good dish, he brings the intense heat followed by a brilliant flicker of sweet. He gives everything he has and goes deeper to find more when there isn't anything left. The answer is pretty clear. Plus, let's not lie, he isn't too bad to look at either.

 Join Team Luc where looking "hotter than Hell" is just one of the many perks!

Giveaway Time:

I spoke to Lisa Desrochers about this awesome debate I'm doing (because she is one of the coolest people around) and she sent along 4 signed books marks for The Last Rite. I'm tempted to say that you can only have one if you head over and vote for Luc (Luc is telling me this is perfectly acceptable and that his creator MEANT for it to be this way) but Lisa warned me that Luc can be a tricksy one so as long as you head over there and vote, I'm satisfied. 

Rules:

• This giveaway is international
• All you need to do is leave a comment on my page telling me what you like about Luc or Gabe and that you voted in the original post over there. Also, leave me an email address (I should mention that if you leave a comment over there, you are entered into comments giveaway the girls are hosting for their event too)
• Giveaway ends in one week (2/15)
• Must be 13 years or older

That's it! Enjoy all the debates going on!

Book Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (January 31, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062060759
ISBN-13: 978-0062060754
Series: Newsoul #1
Source: ARC provided by publisher
Cover: Harper has been doing an amazing job with covers lately because this cover is gorgeous. This cover begs to be taken off the shelf and devoured. The beautiful colors melting into the butterfly mask that match her soft pink lips demands attention. I'm so in love!
First Sentence: What is a soul, but a consciousness born again and again?

Mini-Review: Incarnate is the perfect start to what promises to be an exciting fantasy series.

Summary:

New soul
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.
No soul
Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?
Heart
Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Review:


Like a butterfly, Incarnate transforms itself into a vibrant and unique fantasy with incredible characters, complex relationships and a plot that keeps churning until the very end. Sparkling descriptions made it easy to step into this animated world and Ana's bold nature and intelligence were a pleasure to read. Though this debut is filled with the image of a butterfly, a butterfly it is not. Because I guarantee that unlike a butterfly's fleeting life, Incarnate will last.

I'm hard on fantasy in the YA genre. I grew up reading fantasies before YA and am very familiar with the genre. So I'm generally very cautious about reading them because I tend to judge them a little more harshly. I didn't know Incarnate was a fantasy when I began reading it but by page 10, I was entranced by Ana's world. The author does an incredible job of setting up different creatures, re-creating fantasy favorites and give us a vibrant descriptions of what Heart looks like. I could picture the bustling market place and the tall, imposing temple and I wanted to be there.

One of my favorite things about this novel was Ana. She's everything I want my heroines to be. Coming from an abusive situation, she is quick to doubt herself and very distrusting but I'm not sure I would have believed anything else. I also feel like her un-trusting nature is one of the things that made her point of view unique and anyone else would have seen the world very differently. Ana was also really intelligent. Not only can she pick up on things quickly but she isn't going and getting herself into silly situations for the plot's sake. I feel like as readers, this is one of our biggest pet peeves, and it was almost as if the author was acknowledging that with a slight nod our way. For instance, Ana says when she is getting followed "Going after someone unknown in the dark and cold and almost-snow--that wasn't brave. That was exceedingly stupid." (Pg. 205) There have been so many times I've yelled at a character not to go after that noise when they know their life is in danger. I'm glad Ana recognizes this. What made Ana so well rounded and really sparkle was her devotion and admiration of music. Her intense love for song and melody and her passion for learning it were some of my favorite passages in the book.

Sam was the perfect counterpart. Where Ana was passionate and impulsive, Sam was patient and cautious. Only someone with as much patience as Sam could endure Ana's many relapses into not trusting anyone and still want to help her. Also, Sam's love of creating music clicked with Ana and I felt that through this, a deeply satisfying connection was formed. I fell in love with this slow burn that is Ana and Sam's relationship. Watching them get to know each other and seeing how after so many lives, Sam is still able to be surprised is really delightful. I really felt like I was watching these two grow to understand each other and build something solid and strong. Like both the characters, there were multiple layers to their relationship that I loved because I saw each one formed.

I did find a little disconnect sometimes with Ana's reaction to what someone did or said. I couldn't always understand why she would get mad or frustrated. I suppose this had to do with her background but I couldn't always see it. It wasn't enough to really bother me but it's worth mentioning. Meadows' writing is flawless. I was particularly impressed with the brilliant descriptions, the creativity in building a new culture and creatures and the passages that describe music. Seriously, I wanted to hold each of those gorgeous music passages near me forever because they were candy for the eyes. I also want to mention that the questions raised in this novel about how one person can make a difference with just one life when the other people have been reincarnated millions of times made for a complex plot and gave the main character a wonderful chance to blossom and grow as a character.

Combining a bright new fantastic world with complex characters, Incarnate makes one stunning debut. The pages fly by as you fall deeper into Ana's quest to matter within the little time she is given. Incarnate is the perfect start to what promises to be an exciting fantasy series.

Rating:

Favorite Lines:

"You won't have me." I spun and leaped off the cliff. Death would be fast and cold; I wouldn't feel a thing.

--Pg, 13 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

Every breath I took should have belonged to someone whom everyone had known for five thousand years. The guilt was crushing.

--Pg, 22 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

As the day warmed, snow melted off solemn statue faces like tears.

--Pg, 48 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

I closed my eyes during a flute solo, wishing I could wrap the silvery sound around me, like armor.

--Pg, 62 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

I felt like a fool for having believed Li's lie about sylph burns never healing. Soon, I'd be well enough to hurl rocks at her if I ever ran into her again.

--Pg, 85 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

I'd never heard this music before. There seemed no room to breathe around my swollen heart as the music grew, made me ache inside.

--Pg, 102 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

Apparently Sam wasn't happy if he wasn't sneaking up on me. How unfulfilling his hundred previous lives must have been.

--Pg, 109 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

"If I only get one life, I don't want to waste it by hesitating."

--Pg, 122 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

I wasn't surprised when it worked, only that my hands did it. Stabbed by rose thorns, frozen, burned--and yet they still made music.

--Pg, 172 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadow

"There attached to the dress. It was the only way I could get them to stay./ He squeezed my hand, tone mischievous. "In that case, I'd be especially happy to carry the wings."

--Pg, 270 of an ARC of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows



Check out INCARNATE's Happily Ever Ending for an ending summary so you are ready for book 2!

Teaser Tuesday (72) and Top Ten Tuesday (18)

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!

Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

"What do you think, Nash? I say as casually as possible under the circumstances. "You think you own me now or something?" Thinking: Own me own me own me. 

Billy reaches over and he put his fingers through the hair behind my ear. "Yeah," he says into my ear. "Oh yeah, I own you now."

--Pg. 103 of an ARC of "Where It Began" by Ann Redisch Stampler

I'm almost halfway through this book and am loving it! Gabby's voice is so strong and unique . I can't wait for her to realize her own strength.

What's your teaser?

Top Ten Tuesday is a 10's list meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. There is a different question every week and all you have to do is answer their question with your top ten results!

Top Ten Books You'd Recommend a Non-Reader

This list is definitely going to look like a lot of my other ones but bear with me. I wanted to separate it into guys and girls but I feel like girls are less picky (or maybe I just read things tailored to chicks) so I've got a great girl list and girls/guys list too!

For girls:

1) Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi- This novel is jammed packed with romance and adventure, my two favorite things. The characters are unforgettable, the pacing is perfect and the writing is like nothing you've experienced before.

2) Shifting by Bethany Wiggins- This book is about Native American mythology which is really interesting and has an endlessly fascinating main character. Maggie Mae spent half of her time surprising me and the other half delighting me. I couldn't wait for me!

3) The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- Hauntingly beautiful, this book is perfect to start a dialog with. Mara is funny, realistic and sarcastic plus, you never know if what she is seeing is real or imaginined. Not to mention, this book has one of the sexiest lead male characters I've ever come across.

4) Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer- I know this could be a guy/girl crossover but I still think that with the strong element of romance, this is a girl's book (no offense to the guy's who have read and loved it, more power to you!) I feel like Bella is a lot like most of us actually are in high school and it's nice to read a character like that. From page 1, there is something truly addicting about this book. After all, there is a reason for all the hype.

5) Fracture by Megan Miranda- Delaney's sarcastic yet lovable nerdy personality coupled with an interesting plot is sure to get even those who don't like reading into the mood. It's part thriller, part paranormal and even some contemporary in there so there is something for everyone.

For guys/girls:

1) The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins- Jammed packed with action and characters who kick ass, this will delight both girls and guys. Even though it's told in the perspective of a girl, guys will be able to relate to Katniss's rough around the edges personality too!

2) Divergent by Veronica Roth- Like The Hunger Games, this novel is heavy on the action. A lot like Fight Club but with chicks, Tris' determination and unwillingness to break in the toughest situations is too hard not to fall for.

3) Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- How can the boy who lived and launched a reading sensation not be on this list? Even if reading has been boring in the past, these books are so stuffed with magic, there is no way anyone can't fall in love with them.

4) Incarnate by Jodi Meadow- This novel has loads of crossover potential. Again, Ana is a strong lead, there is romance but it's not the prominent feature and the world is so diverse and imaginative, it's hard not for anyone to lose themselves in it.

5) Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi- I love how this novel combines sci-fi and fantasy. Told in third person and alternating between guy and girl, this novel has a strong focus on action and rich world building skills. The perfect read for both guys and girls!

There are plenty of other books I could add to this list but this is a pretty well-rounded one. I hope you see something on here that you haven't read yet and will pick up.

What made your list?