Merry Christmas!

Hey all, it's Christmas! I may not actually be Christian, but Christmas is my favorite holiday.

And for everyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Saint Stephen's Day, Happy Boxing Day, and any other holidays that are right around now.

My monthly giveaway is ending in a few days, so don't forget to enter here for a chance at some really great indie books.

I'll have a brand new giveaway for you on the first, and since my blogaversary (how do you spell this??) is in January, there will be an extra giveaway later on.

But for now, have a great holiday, break from school, vacation, whatever. And get some rest before going back to whatever it is you do.

Review: Frost Like Night by Sara Raasch

Title: Frost Like Night
Author: Sara Raasch
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Release Date: September 20, 2016

Angra is alive, his Decay is spreading—and no one is safe.

Meira will do anything to save her world. With Angra trying to break through her mental defenses, she desperately needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a mysterious Order from Paisly offers to teach her, she jumps at the chance. But the true solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth deep beneath the Season Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to enter the labyrinth, destroy the very magic she’s learning to control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Mather will do anything to save his queen. He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no kingdom unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the war—and protecting Meira—slips farther and farther out of reach.

Ceridwen will do anything to save her people. Angra had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a prisoner. But when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking truth behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.

As Angra unleashes the Decay on the world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen must bring the kingdoms of Primoria together…or lose everything.

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD|Waterstones

Monthly Giveaway Reminder

Happy almost end of year!

With the end of the year is the end of another month. Meaning my monthly giveaway is almost over. I haven't decided what to give away for January, and my blogaversary happens to be next month too. So expect some epicness (once I figure out what the epicness is lmao).

But for now, here's a quick reminder about the giveaway that is still currently going on.

In celebration of the #ReadIndie challenge that I last-minute cohosted, I'm giving away two indie books to the winner of this month's giveaway.

#ReadIndie Wrap-Up

It's time to wrap up our #ReadIndie challenge. I don't know about you, but I had a blast.
For those of you who don't know, #ReadIndie was a challenge to review as many indie books as possible during the first two weeks of December.
First, we still have a couple giveaways running, so get your entries in for The Bound Series by Stormy Smith and Never Never by Brianna Shrum.

#ReadIndie Review: Bound By Duty

Title: Bound By Duty

Author: Stormy Smith

Publisher: Perfect Storm Publishing

Release Date: July 24, 2014

Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she's an Elder but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she's betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and she doesn't even know his name.

Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky Southern girl and to fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is and not what she'll be.
As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head or her heart win the battle?

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD

Announcement

Greetings all! I have an announcement.

There will be a few changes in the way I do reviews. Up until now (just about two years), I've not rated any books I've read. But as I post my reviews on goodreads and amazon, this seems silly as I'm required to rate books.

So, I will start giving all books ratings,

Okay it's not really all that exciting. But to make sure I keep my ratings organized, I'm slowly going to be adding ratings for plot, characters, love interests, etc. I know, you were hoping for something cooler than that.

Well, I hope to have some awesome-tastic news soon. I guess we shall see, right? Plus, my new blog header should hopefully be done soon.

Changes to the blog should start taking place next week. :)

#ReadIndie Promo: Never Never by Brianna Shrum

Title: Never Never

Author: Brianna Shrum

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: September 22, 2015

James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up. When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child - at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children's dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up. But grow up he does. And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate. This story isn't about Peter Pan; it's about the boy whose life he stole. It's about a man in a world that hates men. It's about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan. Except one.

#ReadIndie Review: The Chasm

Title: The Chasm

Author: S. Usher Evans

Publisher: Suns Golden Ray Publishing

Release Date: July 12, 2016

They survived The Island, but can they cross The Chasm?

Four months after Prince Galian was discovered alive on a remote island, he's adjusting slowly to life at the hospital under the Kylaen media's glare. His promises to Theo remain unfulfilled as fear of his father keeps him from taking concrete action. And the more he learns about the machinations in Kylae, the less sure he is that it's possible to make a difference.

Across the great Madion Sea, Major Theo Kallistrate struggles to navigate the tricky political waters of Rave's presidential staff. To make positive change for her people, she must remain relevant and interesting to the Raven media and to the president. When he asks her to deliver a speech on her supposed two-month imprisonment at Mael, she's not sure she can stomach the lies.

The Chasm is S. Usher Evans' breathtaking, fast-paced follow-up to The Island, which readers say is "not to be missed."

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD

#ReadIndie Excerpt: Recoil by Joanne Macgregor

Title: Recoil

Author: Joanne MacGregor

Release Date: May 14, 2016

When a skilled gamer gets recruited as a sniper in the war against a terrorist-produced pandemic, she discovers there’s more than one enemy and more than one war. The Game is real.

Three years after a series of terrorist attacks flooded the US with a lethal plague, society has changed radically.

Sixteen year-old Jinxy James spends her days trapped at home – immersed in virtual reality, worrying about the plague and longing for freedom. Then she wins a war simulation game and is recruited into a top-secret organisation where talented teenagers are trained to become agents in the war on terror. Eager to escape her mother’s over-protectiveness and to serve her country, Jinxy enlists and becomes an expert sniper of infected mutant rats.

She’s immediately drawn to Quinn O’Riley, a charming and subversive intelligence analyst who knows more about the new order of government and society than he is telling. Then a shocking revelation forces Jinxy to make an impossible decision, and she risks losing everything.

Recoil is the first book in a Young Adult dystopian romance trilogy, and makes great reading for lovers of Rick Yancey (The Fifth Wave), Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), and Veronica Roth (Divergent).

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|TBD

#ReadIndie Interview: Stormy Smith

Well, Blogger is giving me so much shit right now and deleted my original post. It took me a while, and I only have a few minutes right now, so this one won't be formatted as nicely. I'm slowly fixing it lol.

Title: Bound by Duty

Author: Stormy Smith

Publisher: Perfect Storm

Release Date: July 24, 2014

Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she's an Elder but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she's betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and she doesn't even know his name.
Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky Southern girl and to fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is and not what she'll be.

As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head or her heart win the battle?

#ReadIndie Review: This Is What Goodbye Looks Like

Title: This Is What Goodbye Looks Like

Author: Olivia Rivers

Publisher: Red Sparrow Press

Release Date: June 17, 2016

Lea Holder watched a boy die in the same DUI accident that ruined Lea’s legs and threw her little sister into a coma. As the only eye-witness to the accident, if she tells the truth in court, the drunk driver will go to prison and the dead boy’s family will have justice.

But Lea lies.

If she had told the truth, Lea would have put her own mom in prison for causing the accident. With the trial over and her mom set free, Lea attempts to rebuild her shattered life as she waits for her little sister to wake from her coma.

When Lea transfers schools, she finds herself in the same senior class as Seth Ashbury, the brother of the boy her mom killed. As Lea gets to know the person buried underneath Seth's grief, she quickly falls for his quick wit and passionate soul. But Seth remains completely oblivious that Lea is the same girl who robbed his family of justice.

As their relationship deepens, Lea finally gets a taste of the love that’s been missing from her life since the accident. But soon she’s faced with a choice: she can continue her lies and accept the comfort it gives them both. Or she can tell Seth the truth about everything, and risk destroying both her family and her newfound love.

Amazon|Goodreads

#ReadIndie Interview: S Usher Evans

Title: The Island

Author: S Usher Evans

Publisher: Suns Golden Ray

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Prince Galian is third in line to the throne, but prefers his place as a resident at the Royal Kylaen Hospital. When his father urges him to join the military to help reclaim their colony, Galian is forced to put aside his oath to Do No Harm and fight a war he does not believe in.

Across the great Madion Sea, Captain Theo Kallistrate dreams of a day when she is no longer bound by conscription to fight for her country's independence. But when the Kylaens threaten, honor and duty call her to the front lines to fight off the oppressors.

When an air skirmish goes wrong, both Theo and Galian crash on a remote island hundreds of miles from either nation. Grievously injured, Theo must rely on Galian's medical expertise, and Galian must rely on Theo's survival skills, to live another day in a harsh and unforgiving terrain.

Can they put aside their differences long enough to survive? Or will the war that brought them to the island tear them apart?

The Island is the first in a new romance trilogy by S. Usher Evans, author of the Razia series and Empath.

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD

#ReadIndie Layla Hagen - Your Inescapable Love Excerpt + Giveaway

Max Bennett was nine years old the first time he met Emilia. The two formed a tight friendship that lasted for years until she moved away. Now, years later, Max enjoys a successful career, and his brilliant business sense helped him take his family’s company to the next level. Max loves his life: carefree and fun. He has everything he wants and does not intend to settle down anytime soon (even though his family might have other ideas).

But when a chance encounter brings him face-to-face with Emilia, he starts questioning everything. The girl he last saw years ago has grown into a beautiful woman with sensual curves and a smile he can’t get out of his mind. Their chemistry is sizzling, and between old memories and new challenges, the two form an undeniable connection.

Emilia Campbell has a lot on her plate, taking care of her sick grandmother. Still, the twenty-eight-year-old physical therapist faces everything with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. The one area in her life where she’s not too optimistic is love. After practically being left at the altar, Emilia has sworn off men. Until the childhood friend she hero-worshiped and hasn’t quite forgotten steps into her clinic. Max is every bit the troublemaker she remembers, only now he has a body to drool over and a smile to melt her panties. Not that she intends to do the former, or let the latter happen.

They are both determined not to cross the boundaries of friendship. But as they spend more time together, their chemistry spirals out of control.

Can Emilia trust her childhood hero with the key to her heart and accept she might have found her one true love?

December Giveaway

It's December! What the hell, right?

So with the new month is a new giveaway. See Giveaway Rules Page for full rules. 

The prize for the giveaway is two books (yay!). To celebrate our #ReadIndie challenge this month, all of the prizes are independently published.

Prize:

Choose one paperback from the following:

Air Awakens - Elise Kova

Elementals - Michelle Madow

Fairmist - Todd Fahnestock

Spells and Sorcery - S. Usher Evans

AND

Choose one ebook from the following:

This Is What Goodbye Looks Like - Olivia Rivers

Consider - Kristy Acevedo

Emerge - Tobie Easton

Edenhart's Rivalry - J.N. Tomczak

This giveaway is international as long as Book Depository ships to you.

#ReadIndie Kickoff

Welcome to day one of #ReadIndie! This event is all about promoting indie authors and their work! If you haven't signed up for the challenge and you want to join in sharing your favorite indies, you can still sign up HERE until midnight!

For the next two weeks this blog is going to be totally taken over by independently published titles. We will be posting reviews, indie lists, and hosting several awesome giveaways! Make sure to check out my co-host Tracy's blog, Cornerfolds, for other fun stuff including exclusive interviews!

Tracy and I have also recruited an amazing team of reviewers to help with this event! You can check out their blogs and indie reviews here over the next two weeks:

Amber @ Du Livre
AJ @ Read All the Things
Alma @ Journey Through Fiction

Bee @ Quite the Novel Idea
Cat @ Cat's Shelf
GJ @ GJ Alvi
Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog
Jessica & Olyvia @ A Midsummer Night's Read

Stephanie @ Bookfever

If you've already signed up for the challenge, thank you!! You will have a chance to gain extra entries in our giveaways for each indie review you post between today and December 16th. Please share your progress on Twitter using #ReadIndie!

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GIVEAWAY 

We're kicking off #ReadIndie with a bang by giving away books by two amazing indie authors: paperback copies of The Outlaw and Infected by Alan Janney, as well as paperbacks and eBooks of Just a Few Inches by Tara St. Pierre!

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Free Copy of Book 1 

A masked vigilante stalks the streets of downtown Los Angeles, disrupting crime and creating havoc. After being spotted on security cameras and thrust into the national spotlight, he is pursued by both the media and powerful new enemies. Little does the world know the Outlaw is just High School junior Chase Jackson wearing a mask and hoping the beautiful brunette down the street notices.
 
 The Outlaw series, winner of the 2016 NIE Awards in Science Fiction
"Janney's pacing is excellent, as are the action sequences" - Kirkus Reviews
"The Outlaw shines" - San Fransisco Book Review
 
Book One of the must-read, young adult, super charged, paranormal (ish), adventure romance Outlaw Series.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iTunes

All Carrie Roberts wants is to be a little bit smaller.

To fit into the perfect dress for the Valentine’s Day Dance. To look beautiful for her boyfriend, the school’s star basketball player. To keep his jealous ex-girlfriend, a rival cheerleader, away from him. And to be noticed by her classmates.

Exercising and dieting don’t work, but an advertisement for weight loss pills promises a quicker solution to her problem. As time runs out, she takes more than the recommended dose until she’s just a few inches slimmer. Heads turn when she arrives at the dance, and the wonderful night with her boyfriend is beyond what she dreamed it would be.

Days later, Carrie discovers that her body is changing in ways that should be impossible. While her doctor searches for a cure, she desperately turns to her friends and family for support. Everyone is noticing her now whether she likes it or not, and even the media is intrigued by her incredible story. Getting everything she once wanted has created new problems—problems that are growing more terrifying every day.

Because Carrie Roberts is shrinking.

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November Wrap-Up

This month seriously flew by. I don't even know how...and I'm too tired to go put my header on oh what is wrong with me lol.

Well I guess I will jump right into it. So of course you remember that I was doing NaNoWriMo? HA! My computer died during the second week, and I was already behind. I tried using my old laptop, but it's sooooooo slow it would freeze literally every time Scrivener autosaves. Which is every three seconds.

So yea. I didn't do so well with NaNo this year. I did about 10k words, but I'm still okay with that. Now I can continue on with this story that I'm super excited about, and I don't have to feel super rushed to finish it.

Another quick reminder: Read Month ends today on Swoon Reads. So if you were thinking about reading my MS for Iron Curse, you can do that here.

Another awesome thing that happened is that I am now co-hosting the #ReadIndie Challenge, beginning tomorrow! Check out the post to see how you can participate.

You of course all remember my trip to YALLFest this year. So that brings me to what I've read...

It has been a light month for me even with my computer not working. I read a grand total of....

One book. Lol! I read A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi. I started some other books and worked on getting some more posts ready.

I have a few more books I want to read in December. Especially the January releases, but I'll be focusing mainly on editing Spy Project so I can have it ready in January or February.

Monthly giveaway you say?
Why yes. Indeed. November's book of the month was Angelfall by Susan Ee. I'm actually pretty happy, everyone guessed correctly. The winner of the pre-order was Ashfa! Congratulations, I've emailed you :)

Be sure to come back tomorrow to check out a new giveaway for December.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - I'm such a black sheep

So who else has seen this? I feel like I was one of the last ones. I'll try to make this spoiler-free, but I make no guarantees. 

By now we should all know what this is about. Newt Scamander goes to NYC and some of his beasts get loose. At the same time, attacks are happening all over the city. Blah blah blah you know how it goes.

So I will start with what I loved. Eddie Redmayne for one. He's just wonderful lol. Colin Farrell was excellent, and I almost wish he were in the original movies. It was great being back in the wizarding world and seeing a whole new side--the American side. The only glimpse we ever got in any of the books was (I think) a group of Americans walking by Harry during the Tri-Wizard tournament, so it's nice to get to know how more of the word does magic. The graphics were excellent as was the score. My main issues I had were with the plot.

So let's go there. The biggest problem I had with Fantastic Beasts was how cheesy it was. Even in the early Harry Potter books and movies where the characters are all so young, it didn't feel quite as campy and corny. Sure, they had their amusing moments, but this felt like it was trying to lighten up everything with a joke. An example is when Newt's bowtruckle is mad at him and sticks its tongue out at him. A lot of these parts just seemed unnecessary and made the mood of the film far less serious.

My next issue has to do with its predictability. There are two main twists throughout the film (if you can call them that), but I found them so glaringly obvious, I had seen one of them coming from the very first scene of the movie. 

The final thing I had trouble with was [possible spoiler] ------- the romance. I love romance in my books, but I've never really liked the ones in the wizarding world (Sorry Jo). To me, this fit in exactly with how I felt about the ones in the original story--contrived and forced. 

I went to see this with my friend, and he really liked it. He told me he actually wasn't a big fan of any of the original movies (hilarious since we went to a bunch of midnight openings together). So if you're on the fence about seeing it, still definitely try it. You may love it.

As for me? Eh, it was enjoyable, but I nowhere near loved it. I'll want to see the next one when it comes out. But at this moment I wouldn't go see it again or buy the movie whenever it's released.

Review: A Crown of Wishes

Title: A Crown of Wishes
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: March 28, 2017

Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes—a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.

Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.

Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD

Monthly Giveaway Reminder

Hey guys! The month is more than halfway over. So you know what that means, right?

Yep. A reminder about the November Giveaway! For full rules, please see the Rules Page.

This month's giveaway is international and is for a pre-order of your choice (up to $20). To enter, simply follow my blog and tell me the book whose first line I'm quoting - 

Ironically, since the attacks, the sunsets have been glorious.

That's it! Enter the rafflecopter below :)

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The Tale of YALLFest 2016

I had such a great time in Charleston this year. It was beyond exhausting, but it was still more relaxed and chill than last year. So how about I tell you the things.

This tale starts on Thursday afternoon as I got up for work at 3pm. I packed and eventually went to work. By 4:30am, I left work and was on the road to my sister's house. She was kind of mad that I got there so early lol. But what are you gonna do, right? 

So let's move forward in this story. We were getting ready to leave her house. We had about 2 hours before we really had to get out of there, and we were going over our schedules. That was when I realized I forgot all of my Sabaa Tahir books at my house, because I'm a dumbass.

Blog Tour: Timekeeper

Welcome to the FBCYA Blog Tour for Timekeeper, by Tara Sim! Be sure to check out the giveaway below :D


Title: Timekeeper
Author: Tara Sim
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release Date: November 8, 2016

Two o’clock was missing.

In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.

It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.

And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.

But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever.

Amazon|Goodreads|TBD

YALLFest This Weekend

Hey people! So YALLFest is this weekend in Charleston, SC. Will I see you there?

So I will be fairly away from social media this weekend as I hunt down signatures and such. But if you see me, say hi! I like making new friends. 

And I must say,  I'm excited to have a (not-so) relaxing weekend off to chill with my sister and forget this week ever happened. 

So, are you going to YALLFest?

Review: Fate of Flames

Title: Fate of Flames
Author: Sarah Raughley
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: November 22, 2016

Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series.

When Phantoms—massive beasts made from nightmares and darkness—suddenly appeared and began terrorizing the world, four girls, the Effigies, each gained a unique power to control one of the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Since then, four girls across the world have continually fought against the Phantoms, fulfilling their cosmic duty. And when one Effigy dies, another girl gains her power as a replacement.

But now, with technologies in place to protect the world’s major cities from Phantom attacks, the Effigies have stopped defending humanity and, instead, have become international celebrities, with their heroic feats ranked, televised, and talked about in online fandoms.

Until the day that New York City’s protection against the Phantoms fails, a man seems to be able to control them by sheer force of will, and Maia, a high school student, unexpectedly becomes the Fire Effigy.

Now Maia has been thrown into battle with three girls who want nothing to do with one another. But with the first human villain that the girls have ever faced, and an army of Phantoms preparing for attack, there isn’t much time for the Effigies to learn how to work together.

Can the girls take control of their destinies before the world is destroyed forever?

NaNoWriMo Update

Here we are, almost a week through NaNoWriMo, and I'm sitting here writing a blog post.

For those that don't know what I'm talking about, November is National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo.

If you are me right now, you are currently very behind. You work weird hours and had trouble getting anything written. You were out of town, and now you have a one-day weekend to make up for it. You will also be at YALLFest next weekend, so RIP writing time.

A Quick and Simple Schedule Change

This is just a little update on my schedule. I'll fix the "Schedule" page later when I get a chance, but I'm moving my weekly reviews to Monday. My personal schedule makes it much tougher to have a review every Saturday, and I keep pushing them back to my back-up day, so I figured I may as well just switch it.

So, my normally scheduled review of Fate of Flames will be up Monday :)

#ReadIndie Sign-Ups are Open

I promised you guys a sign-up post this week. So here we go!

Welcome to the first ever #ReadIndie challenge! This event was created to promote indie authors who we think are amazing! What is this challenge, you ask? #ReadIndie is a two week time span in December during which we will only be reviewing and promoting indie titles. My co-host for this event is Tracy from Cornerfolds! To help out with this #ReadIndie, Tracy and I have also recruited a team of reviewers to help promote some amazing indie books!

November Giveaway

Hellooooooo another month starts now! Fall is in full swing here in Florida (and by full swing I mean it's still mostly hot as hell except for like one day a week that it's actually cold), and with it comes a new giveaway for the month of November.

Last month, my giveaway was US only, for three random books from my shelves. The book of the month was A Court of Thorns and Roses, which may not be a favorite of mine, but it certainly has one of my favorite first lines.

This month, my giveaway is international! YAY! It's for a pre-order of a book of your choice (yes it must be a pre-order), as long as Book Depository ships to you.

Release Day Blitz: Blood for Blood

Guys, I am super excited to share with you today BLOOD FOR BLOOD, which releases today. I have heard nothing but amazing things about this series, so I can wait to get started on it.

If you haven't heard of it, check it out below, as well as a giveaway for 4 finished copies of WOLF BY WOLF. Check it out below!

October Wrap-Up

How is October over already??

I have some exciting news! I will now be co-hosting the December #ReadIndie event with Tracy at Cornerfolds in collaboration with Indiemas, hosted by Emily at Emily Reads Everything. More info on this and how you can participate to come. Hopefully this week!

But seriously. I feel like I got nothing done! So let's examine this past month...

Even big bloggers don't get a break apparently

I only just woke up to the shit show that happened during the day.

And by shit show, I mean news about BEA seriously limiting the amount of bloggers they accept and Harper no longer sending arcs to bloggers. At all.

So let's start with the easier to digest news. The fact that BEA is seriously changing. Want to know what I mean? Look here. It is disheartening that a trade show that previously embraced bloggers now tells us how little we mean.

And not only that, I keep seeing things like this:

Review: Scythe

Title: Scythe
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster BFYR
Release Date: November 22, 2016

In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional reapers (“scythes”). Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythe’s apprentices, and—despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation—they must learn the art of killing and come to understand the necessity of what they do.

Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice. And when it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser, Citra and Rowan are pitted against one another in a fight for their lives.

SST Interview with Becky Allen

Title: Bound by Blood and Sand
Author: Becky Allen
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: October 11, 2016

Jae is a slave in a dying desert world.

Once verdant with water from a magical Well, the land is drying up, and no one remembers the magic needed to keep the water flowing. If a new source isn’t found soon, the people will perish. Jae doesn’t mind, in a way. By law, she is bound by a curse to obey every order given her, no matter how vile. At least in death, she’ll be free.

Lord Elan’s family rules the fading realm. He comes to the estate where Jae works, searching for the hidden magic needed to replenish the Well, but it’s Jae who finds it, and she who must wield it. Desperate to save his realm, Elan begs her to use it to locate the Well.

But why would a slave—abused, beaten, and treated as less than human—want to save the system that shackles her? Jae would rather see the world burn.

Though revenge clouds her vision, she agrees to help if the kingdom’s slaves are freed. Then Elan’s father arrives. The ruler’s cruelty knows no limits. He is determined that the class system will not change—and that Jae will remain a slave forever.

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD|Waterstones

Getting Overwhelmed by your TBR

I have a confession: My TBR is effing huge.

By my last count, I own 154 physical finished copies of books, 22 physical arcs, 3 earcs, and an unknown number of ebooks that I have not read. I have to be honest, I was expecting this number to be higher, but I've refrained from buying a lot of books lately, simply because I have so many arcs and so little time. I want to get them read and reviewed to help the authors. But sometimes I just want to read what I want to read.

Monthly Giveaway Reminder

October is almost over, and with that the end of another Monthly Giveaway. Don't forget to enter! The prize is three random books from my shelves. Whoever wins, I will ask you a few questions to get an idea of your tastes so I can send you something you will hopefully enjoy. You can either go to the original post here, or you can enter the rafflecopter form below.

Remember, the rules are -

1) You must follow my blog.
2) You must tell me the name of the monthly book.
3) This month's giveaway is USA, Canada, and Mexico only (yes it includes PR).

Review: The Diabolic

Title: The Diabolic
Author: S. J. Kincaid
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Release Date: November 1, 2016

A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.

Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.

When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.

As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD|Waterstones

I'm back!

Yes, it took me a little while to get back.

If I'm being honest, the hurricane was not the only reason I took so long. I did have my laptop with me, but I just couldn't really bring myself to do anything.

Real quick, for those of who have been asking how I fared in the hurricane, thank you! My house sustained minimal damage that I can see. I need about $10,000 of tree removal (dear god), but that should be covered by the insurance company.

Updates oh no!

so this is just a quick update to let you guys know my weekly review will be a few days late because of Hurricane Matthew.

If you were not aware, I'm in a mandatory evacuation zone in Florida. So I'm currently out of town with minimal computer access.

I hope to have my review of The Diabolic up on Monday.

And those of you also in the storm's path... Stay safe!

Review: No Holding Back

Title: No Holding Back
Author: Kate Evangelista
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Release Date: October 18, 2016

Everyone knows that Nathan is in love with his best friend, Preston…Everyone except Preston. Nathan has always accepted that Preston was too focused on his swim training to worry about love. But Preston is heading off to train for the Olympics soon, so if Nathan wants his chance at love, he has to speak up now. But saying “I love you” is surprisingly difficult, even for someone as confident as Nathan. Maybe a whirlwind vacation in Europe could help? But… what if it doesn’t work out and he loses the best friend he’s ever had?

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads|Kobo|TBD

Monthly Giveaway - October

It's October, and the September giveaway as ended. My September quote was, "My history is hospitals," which is the first line from Magonia!

Congrats to Caroline from Just Another Bookish Blog for winning. I've emailed you.

So last month, there weren't as many entries as I'd hoped. For that reason, I'm going to make this an easier quote (at least I think it's easier lol).

September Wrap-Up

WHAT! September is over? How do? This means 2016 is almost over and I AM NOT PREPARED.

Has this month been very momentous? Eh, not really. But let's see what happened...

So let's start with early September. There was a #PitMad on twitter, which I partook in. I got one of my tweets favd by an agent! So I sent off a query and am not overly hopeful. But still!

Around the blog, you may notice some font changes and the addition of a drop-down menu. Nothing too serious. Just sprucing it up.

Not much else has happened this month honestly. It's mostly been me reading and writing. Except for the one thing that happened yesterday where I fell and sprained my ankle again.

This is literally me.