YADP Post: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Young Adult Debut Promotions (YADP) is a post I do to help out debut authors, and to get them noticed.  My posts will definitely include a feature of the book, a feature of the author, and a giveaway, with an interview, guest post, or excerpt optional.  If you would like more information about YADP click here and scroll down until you come to the section talking about it.

Today I am featuring...


Cat Winters
And I will be doing a review and giveaway!

~The Book~

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

by Cat Winters

Pages: 400

Release Date: April 2, 2013
by Amulet

Goodreads / Purchase

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her? Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

*A copy was provided by Amulet for review purposes*

What a heartbreaking, breathtaking book!  Seriously, the feels from this book!  If I didn’t already know that Cat Winters was a debut novelist, I would have sworn on my life she was a seasoned writer with tons of award winning novels already published.  The way she wrote this book and manipulated the story line and characters was just mesmerizing.  Her writing was fluent and flowing, the story line was perfect, and the staging was absolutely superb.  She found a way to slip in little details that would be crucial later on in such a way that you didn’t have a clue it would affect the story until something big had already happened because of it, and then you think back and go “Oh, that’s what it was”.  The idea was just amazing for this book, and the way she introduced the setting and everything was just masterfully done.  I loved how history played a part in this book, and how there was a mystery aspect to this book.  The combination of romance, mystery, history, and hauntings was just superbly done.  I will say, though, that I guessed half of what happens in the end.  I was so invested and focused and into this book that I literally was yelling at the pages that for about 20 pages in the middle, and my dad had to come in and ask what was wrong.

The romance in this book could best be described as tragically beautiful.  It was heartbreaking to read about how much Mary and Stephen loved each other, but could never be together again.  I will say, I absolutely loved Mary.  From her name (her full name is Mary Shelley Black.  How awesome is that) to her personality, she was awesome.  She was head-strong, defiant, didn’t take any crap, and was completely kick-butt in her own way.  Stephen seemed like a really awesome guy, sweet, caring, and perfect.

Winters completely sucked me in from page one of this book and didn’t let me come up to breath until the very last page.  I was reading so intently that the TV didn’t even bother me, and I had the book pulled up closer to my face as if I could actually go into the pages.  This was such a beautifully written, tragically romantic, and well written novel, I can’t wait to see what Winters comes up with for her sophomore novel.

5 pink flowers

~Giveaway~

~There will be 1 winner

~Giveaway ends on April 15, 2013 @ 12:00 A.M.

~This giveaway is US/CAN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Get to know Cat Winters~

Bio:

Cat Winters was born and raised in Southern California, near Disneyland, which may explain her love of haunted mansions, bygone eras, and fantasylands. She received degrees in drama and English from the University of California, Irvine, and formerly worked in publishing. Her debut novel, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS—a YA ghost tale set during the World War I era—is coming April 2, 2013, from Amulet Books/ABRAMS. She currently lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two kids.

Connect:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Thank you so much Cat for stopping by today!  It was a blast to have you on the blog!!!

Thanks for checking out this post!  If you could share it with a friend that would be really great.  The whole point of this post was to get an awesome debut author noticed, so if you could help that would be awesome!

Waiting on Wednesday #60

This is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlites upcoming new releases that we're highly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Contaminated by Em Garner

Goodreads / Pre-Order

After the Contamination—an epidemic caused by the super-trendy diet drink SlimPro that turned ordinary citizens into violent, uncontrollable creatures—the government rounded up the “Connies” to protect the remaining population. Now, two years later, the rehabilitated are being allowed home, complete with shock collars that will either control, or kill, them.

Velvet Ellis has struggled to care for her ten-year-old sister since her parents were taken in the round up. When she finds her mother in one of the “Kennels,” Velvet resolves to do whatever it takes to put her family back together. But the danger isn’t over. It’s beginning all over again…

Gritty and grabbing, Velvet is a harrowing, emotionally charged novel for fans of Carrie Ryan and The Walking Dead.

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Link me up!!!

{Review} Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Dance of Shadows
by Yelena Black
Series: Dance of Shadows #1
Pages: 447
Release Date: February 12, 2013
by Bloomsbury

Goodreads / Purchase

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts… Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames… Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed…

*A copy was provided by Bloomsbury for review purposes*

Coming into this book I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I’m glad that I didn’t have very high expectations because I would have been even more disappointed than I am now.  What this book had was a bad case of bad-execution-ites.  The idea for this book was awesome, but the execution was not.  The writing was definitely not amazing, but the thing that really got me was the bad staging, and the lack of finesse when introducing new characters or situations.  The staging was way too obvious and easy, and the events were choppy and disconnected.  Vanessa had 4 best friends within 10 pages, and they were tight, tight, tight.  And the way they were introduced wasn’t very well done.  Also, this book had insta-love at it’s finest.  Not to mention, the guy dumped his then girlfriend to go with Vanessa.  Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like when that happens – in real life or in books.  The ending was pretty decent, but I think it was way to easy to overcome the evil and come up with a solution.  It wasn’t thrilling, it wasn’t very well done, and pretty much summed up the whole book: too sudden and lacking finesse.

I had a huge problem with this cast.  First off, Vanessa.  Who, as I mentioned earlier, stole another girl’s boyfriend.  Enough said.  She was annoying, weak, and clueless.  And boyfriend himself, Zep.  Ditto what I said about Vanessa.  He was annoying, controlling, mean, and a jerk.  There were so many things wrong with these two characters that they really shouldn’t have been written like this.

The only reason I’m not giving this book a big fat 1 star is the idea and the few bright moments in the book where things moved smoothly and the staging was good, and also because of the fact that the book was pretty well written, in the middle at least.

2 pink flowers

US vs UK #11 + Emily's Ramblings #1

US vs UK is a meme hosted by Book Passion for Life.  In this meme, I will post a US and UK cover from the same book, and you guys will vote which one you like best.

_________________________________________________

The Score:

US: 8 UK: 0 Draw: 2

Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

  VS   

My Vote:

I think I'm going to have to go with the US cover on this round.  I do like that there is a tag line on the UK cover, but I don't really like the model or the design.  The US cover is prettier and more well-done.

Links: Goodreads / Purchase

Which cover do you like best?

Leave a comment to vote!

__________________________________________


Last week's winner was...US!
Click here to view last week's covers!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emily's Ramblings *drumroll*

Emily’s Ramblings is a weekly post I like to do where I basically ramble – a lot.  I talk about anything and everything!  I’m a teenaged girl so I might not keep the rambling strictly to books, but please just bear with me.  I have other interests than books and will be discussing them in these posts!

Who else really wants to see the Beautiful Creatures and The Host movies? *puts and up in the air and jumps around*.  Okay, who here has read both books? *puts hand down and cries in a corner*.  You got it folks – I HAVEN’T READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS!  I know, I know, it’s like a crime or something, but I just haven’t had time.  I’m actually more excited to read/watch The Host because Beautiful Creatures doesn’t appeal to me as much, and also because the main girl in The Host, Saoirse Ronan, was in this really awesome, kick-ass movie called Hanna and I absolutely LOVED it so I can’t wait to see The Host because I think it’s the only once she’s done since Hanna.  Those of you who have seen Hanna know the awesomeness and kick-ass-ness that is Saoirse Ronan.

Okay, so, something you guys have to know about me is I have a bit of a crush (haha, who am I kidding, I’m obsessed) on Jeremy Renner.  He’s been in The Hurt Locker, The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy, and Hansel and Gretel.  And he has other ones that I haven’t seen yet.  I’ve seen the first three but not Hansel and Gretel and I really, really want to see it!  He is a really, really awesome actor!  He’s really kick-butt and omg his arms are huge and ugh.  Okay, sorry.  Teenager things.  Anyway, have you guys seen any of his movies?

Also, speaking of movies, I am completely OBSESSED with The Avengers.  I’ve seen it so many times that I can actually quote whole scenes.  I took an Avengers quote test and I got 100%.  Not kidding.  I know, I know, I’m such a nerd, but the movie is just so awesome.  And I like watching all the Hawkeye scenes.  And the cast that they have is the best I’ve ever seen – it’s just such an awesome group of people who have great personalities and goof around and ahhh, it’s just amazing. (If you want to see the bloopers from the movie YouTube “Avengers gag reel”.  You will die laughing).

Lately I’ve become super-addicted to Instagram.  I absolutely love it.  I follow a ton of other awesome book bloggers, but I’ve also found some Hunger Games and Avengers accounts that I absolutely love!  Seriously, what did I do with my life before I found Instagram?  And now I want to make a cool account like everyone else’s but I can’t because I don’t know how to edit and stuff.  And I really want Instagram to let people download pictures onto their phone like Tumbrl does, because I “like” a ton of pictures every day, and I really, really love a few and want to keep them but I can’t.  So I lose them :/

How was everyone’s Easter?  My mom withheld candy (oh, I’m sorry, the Easter Bunny) so I scouted out where she put the bag with all the candy in it and stole some.  *evil laugh*.  But she’ll know it was me because I’m always taking cookies and candy.  And I’m proud of it lol.

Okay so I hope that was a good first rambling post, and hopefully the first of many.  I’ll try to write one every Monday!  And again, I might not keep the stuff to just books, because I’m a teenager and I’m going to be going through teenage stuff (like thinking every single actor I ever see is the hottest man on earth lol), and I’m homeschooled and don’t really have many friends so I’m going to be gushing to you guys.  So deal with it.  Just kidding.  But you probs will be getting an earful.

And I’ll probably be talking about movies and actors most of the time, which, I personality think, is a good change from books every single day.  Adds some variety in. :)

Spring Cleaning Giveaway #2: Finished Copy Edition

Welcome to the second and final Spring Cleaning Giveaway!  This giveaway will feature all the finished copies for review that I've recieved over the course of the 17 months I've been blogging and have never read.  Just like the previous giveaway, the winner will have to pay shipping via PayPal, but that allows me to make this giveaway INT.  So, anyway, let's get to the books!

Prize Pack #1

The Madman's Daughter / The Fire Horse Girl

*Note: The Madman's Daughter is actually in ARC format.  I added it in to make the prize packs even

Prize Pack #2

The Gathering Storm / Spark (Sky Chasers #2)

Prize Pack #3

Skinny / Pinned

Prize Pack #4

A Corner of White / Velveteen

Prize Pack #5

The Academie / Hooked

THE RULES:

~There will be 5 winners

~Giveaway ends on April 10, 2013 @ 12:00 A.M.

~This giveaway is INT

~Winner must pay shipping via PayPal

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THANKS FOR ENTERING AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!

That's funny because as I make this post I'm watching The Hunger Games and they literally JUST said that quote!

{Review} Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality
by Elizabeth Eulberg
Pages: 272
Release Date:
by Point (an imprint of Scholastic)

Goodreads / Purchase

A hilarious new novel from Elizabeth Eulberg about taking the wall out of the wallflower so she can bloom. Don't mess with a girl with a great personality! Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup). Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection. The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

*A copy was provided by Scholastic for review purposes*

Wow, this was a pretty interesting read.  When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be a very dark, sad, heartbreaking book, but it turned out to be kind of a fluffy coming-of-age story, and I kind of would have liked it better if it had stayed sad.  I don’t really feel like the whole “girl who everyone thinks is ugly” and “becoming popular and learning about yourself” really fits together.  The writing was really awesome, and I loved the humor that was added in.  The story line was okay.  The little things that Eulberg threw in to try and add to the story (like how Lexi wants to design clothes, the big “moment” back then) were totally see-through and annoying.  I can see that Eulberg tried to make this an inspiring, “believe in yourself” book, but I gotta say, it didn’t really work very well…at least for me.  The ending was kind of blah, I didn’t really like the way Eulberg decided to go with the story.  But I think there might be a possibility of a sequel because the ending was very open.

I wasn’t really a huge fan of Lexi in this book, and I actually like the supporting characters better than the main character.  Lexi felt like she was ugly, so she tried to change to make everyone else notice her and like her, and I know that Eulberg was making a point with this book that you shouldn’t do that, but it annoyed me to no end that Lexi kept on changing to please people.  She came across as petty, weak, had no self-esteem, and let people walk all over her.  And, funnily enough, she really didn’t have much personality, she just sat around cracking jokes that put herself down.  The supporting characters had more personality than she did!  Benny was gay and proud of it.  Cam was confident and didn’t care what people said about her.  Lexi needs to learn a thing or two from them.

I really, really wish I could have liked this book more, but for me it came across as a coming-of-age story fail, and a bad combination of ideas.  While the supporting characters were awesome, Lexi was really pathetic, and I like my books to have strong main characters, especially in a book like this.  Also, I don’t really get the title for this book, because Lexi isn’t malicious or anything, and she doesn’t try to get revenge.  Ummmmmmmm?????????

3 pink flowers

Waiting on Wednesday #59

This is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlites upcoming new releases that we're highly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Goodreads / Pre-Order

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: September 10, 2013

Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water. 

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….

With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different than our own.

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Link me up!!!

{Review} Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Going Vintage
by Lindsey Leavitt
Pages: 320
Release Date: March 26, 2013
by Bloomsbury

Goodreads / Pre-Order

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List: 1. Run for pep club secretary 2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree 3. Sew a dress for Homecoming 4. Find a steady 5. Do something dangerous But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

*A copy was provided by Bloomsbury for review purposes*

What a cute, fun read!  Seriously, am I the only one who thinks this book would make the perfect movie?  I absolutely loved the idea and how Leavitt proved a point with this book.  The writing was funny, witty, and entertaining, and the story line was awesome.  I really loved all the different components of the book, especially the characters and how Mallory grew over the course of the story.  The romance was so sweet and cute to read about, and I really loved the twists and the ending in this book.

Mallory was really the perfect main character in this book.  I really respect several of her decisions throughout the book and I’m glad that Leavitt wrote her like she did.  I loved how Mallory grew over the course of the story, and how she was strong and independent, and sometimes funny as well.  Oliver was pretty awesome as well, and I really loved that he was such a sweet, nice guy and didn’t mess with Mallory.

This book was an awesome coming-off-age story that I thoroughly enjoyed.  The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was the few boring parts with the grandma and sewing, but other than that this book was pretty awesome and exciting!

SMALL NOTE: Sorry my past couple reviews have been really short.  It’s been a while since I’ve written a review and I’m kind of out of practice, but I’ll try to improve in the future :)

4.5 pink flowers

{Review} Escape Theory by Margaux Froley

Escape Theory
by Margaux Froley
Series: Keaton School #1
Pages: 288
Release Date: March 12, 2013
by Soho Teen

Goodreads / Purchase

Sixteen-year-old Devon Mackintosh has always felt like an outsider at Keaton, the prestigious California boarding school perched above the Pacific. As long as she’s not fitting in, Devon figures she might as well pad her application to Stanford’s psych program. So junior year, she decides to become a peer counselor, a de facto therapist for students in crisis. At first, it seems like it will be an easy fly-on-the-wall gig, but her expectations are turned upside down when Jason Hutchins (a.k.a. “Hutch”), one of the Keaton’s most popular students, commits suicide.
Devon dives into her new role providing support for Hutch’s friends, but she’s haunted by her own attachment to him. The two shared an extraordinary night during their first week freshman year; it was the only time at Keaton when she felt like someone else really understood her.  As the secrets and confessions pile up in her sessions, Devon comes to a startling conclusion: Hutch couldn't have taken his own life. Bound by her oath of confidentiality—and tortured by her unrequited love—Devon embarks on a solitary mission to get to the bottom of Hutch's death, and the stakes are higher than she ever could have imagined.

*A copy was provided by Soho Teen for review purposes*

Escape Theory really reminded me of Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday, which you guys may or may not know is my favorite mystery book ever.  The dialogue was very funny and entertaining and the best friend was absolutely nuts and had tons of personality.  I really liked Froley’s idea, and I loved the setting and how she described it.  The set-up was absolutely perfect, and the circumstances were written flawlessly.  In some mystery books I feel like the solution comes too easily, but in this book it smoothed into the answer with ease and finesse, and it all made sense.  The staging and story line was absolutely perfect, and the ending summed up the whole story line effortless and thrilling way.  Really, I can’t believe that this book is Margaux Froley’s first.

This cast was a rather large one, but since each character had such a great and different personality, it was easy to keep track.  I liked how each character played a part in the mystery and the solving of the mystery.  I really liked Devon and how she was persistent in her beliefs and didn’t give up on Hutch.  Her best friend, Presley, was an absolute riot, and I loved reading about how they interacted.

If this is Margaux Froley’s debut mystery book and it was this freaking good, I can’t even imagine how awesome her next books are going to be.  Her grasp on writing, staging, and complex settings is just amazing…gah, this book was so awesome!

5 pink flowers

CHECK OUT DEADLY COOL - TRUST ME, YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!

Add on Goodreads / Buy on Amazon

In My Mailbox #54

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we spotlight the books that we've received for review, swapped, or purchased that week.

FOR REVIEW:

The Last Academy by Anne Applegate (from Scholastic)

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland

(from Simon & Schuster)

BOUGHT:

Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Huge thanks to Scholastic and Simon & Schuster for the awesome books this week!

What did you guys get this week?

Link me up!!! :)

Guest Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Hello everyone!  So today I'm going to be doing something a bit different.  Today I will have one of my bookish friends do a guest review!  So please, by all means, read on!!! :)



Intro:

Hi! My name is Hailee. I am blessed to serve as a Youth Services Librarian in a public library. I LOVE MY JOB! I'm currently in grad school to get my Masters in Library and Information Sciences and am looking forward to a long career as a Youth Services Librarian. Even though I'm not a teenager anymore, YA books are still my passion and my favorite genres to read are horror, suspense, supernatural (though not so much Vampires and Werewolves), dystopian and realistic fiction.

The Diviners
by Libba Bray
Series: The Diviners #1
Pages: 578
Release Date: September 18, 2012
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads / Purchase

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies." When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

The Diviners is told in alternating points of view from a rich cast of characters including a numbers runner by day, poet by night in Harlem and a glamorous Ziegfeld dancer with a dark secret. Bray does a fantastic job of building a complete backstory for each character, who all have secrets or supernatural powers of their own, without weighing the story down or making the story daunting for the reader. Each is fully fleshed and easy to connect with.

Evie is a marvel of a heroine, strong-willed, sassy and intelligent to boot, she sure is one "Sheba" of a girl. She craves the spotlight, but not in a pretentious way that might make you dislike her. There are simply so many glamours things happening that Evie has to be a part of, and she can't help it if she sometimes steals the show! Her yearning for fame does not make her a shallow character, in fact she is completely multi-layered and three-dimensional. Still grieving the death of her brother and questioning whether her mother wishes she were the one dead instead of him make her authentically real. Her insistence to urge shy, demure friend Mabel out of her shell and into the eyes of Museum Assistant Jethro (whom Mabel is sweet on) as well as clandestine meetings with a sketchy news reporter create relatable flaws and present problems for those closest to her, but Evie always seems to fix things in the end.

Printz award winner Bray brings the world of 1920s Manhattan to life while weaving a mysterious and scary tale sure to stick with you long after you’ve read the last page and many are sure to eagerly anticipate the sequel. You can tell this is a novel that was meticulously researched and the 20s historical references are inserted so effortlessly that you are completely immersed in the setting, slang and all. Fans of historical fiction and paranormal will find a lot to like here and returning fans of Bray will not be disappointed.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY HAILEE!!!!