Want to be in a Book?

Author HP Mallory, who I interviewed here (giveaway still open!) is running an awesome contest on her blog right now!

She's currently working on the second book in her Jolie Wilkins series, Toil and Trouble, and she's giving the chance for someone to become a character in it. To enter all you need to do is leave a comment on her post here (along with completing any of the extra entries she offers). The contest closes October 30th and the winner will be selected on the 31st.

Why should you enter? Well, here's what HP states in the post about what the winner can expect:

Enter to be written as a character in my book, Toil and Trouble. I'll create your character using your name, description and personality (I'll have to send over a questionnaire, etc. to find out all about you!)

I already know which character you'll be and without giving away too much, this character is:

* integral to the storyline
* mentioned in Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
* will play a part in all future books in the Jolie Wilkins series

The winner will get:

* A written part in Toil and Trouble and future Jolie Wilkins books
* The ability to read Toil and Trouble before it's released to the public
* Added to the Acknowledgments page of Toil and Trouble
* Interviewed on my blog
* A signed (with dedication) paperback copy of Toil and Trouble
* A signed paperback copy of Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble and To Kill A Warlock

 
Not bad huh? Pretty awesome in fact. So if you've ever wanted to become a character, a serious character, in a book, now is your chance!!

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Crescendo is the sequel to Hush, Hush, some spoilers for it ahead. I received an ARC copy of Crescendo for review thanks to Lynsey at UK Book Tours.

"Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away, and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Milliar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line had something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch, or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?"

I finished Crescendo a few days ago, but I'm still not entirely sure what I think of it. I loved Hush, Hush. I didn't think it was spectacular (characters a little flat, Patch too much of a bad-boy, Nora too willing to ignore it), but I loved it anyway, so of course I was looking forward to the sequel. I was particularly interested in the story of Nora's fathers death, and how it connected to the Nephilim. But I found myself quickly loosing enthusiasm while reading it. I found it predictable, and far too alike Hush, Hush in many respects. It wasn't hard to figure out where the danger was really coming from, or what had really happened to Nora's father.

I didn't love Nora in Hush, Hush, didn't even like her that much. She was too flat and far too willing to do whatever Patch wanted when she shouldn't have been near him. And she never told Vee, her obnoxious, insensitive 'best friend' to stop being such. And my opinion hasn't really changed. I kept waiting for some growth from her, but what there was minimal and didn't really seem to last, she kept going back to how she was before it seemed to me.

Patch. Stalker, bad-boy, seriously dangerous. He was in Hush, Hush, and despite knowing he was really too bad to be good, I kinda loved him. Possibly for the contrast he was to Nora, where she was a bit of a straight laced goody-two-shoes, he was the opposite. I wish I could say that carried over to this book, but it didn't. I kinda hated him a few times throughout this book, and (obnoxious about it or not) completely agreed with Vee when she said he was bad news and that Nora was better off without him.

There were a few times I would have liked to slap both Patch and Nora for their behaviour and stupidity. At least twice Patch was getting really mad at Nora for 'not letting him explain' and her just getting crazy. And I was thinking 'what the heck?!?' because a) he wasn't trying to explain, not once. And b) Nora had every reason to be furious at him for his behaviour and yet he expected her to accept it without explanation. Made no sense whatsoever. And neither did several of Nora's outbursts which came from nowhere (even if there was reason) and would die just as fast. Not to mention that I never really felt they 'fit' as a couple in this one. Not a healthy relationship in book one, but a steamy one that somehow worked anyway. But here...it just didn't for me. All their interaction was brief and it felt like there were chunks missing. Nothing was fleshed out the way it really needed to be to truly work.

The story itself, like I said, felt very alike Hush, Hush, in many ways, just a few minor details switched. I spent a fair bit of time reading it and thinking 'didn't I read this already?' I finished Hush, Hush in a day easily. It flowed at a fast pace and was an easy read. Crescendo I more or less finished in a day as well, but it took far more effort on my part. The first half really dragged for me. It picked up a bit past the halfway point, and the final 100 pages raced past. And I did actually enjoy the final 100 pages. I knew what was coming, how it would play out, but I'd finally gotten sucked in enough that it didn't matter, just like Hush, Hush. I was surprised just once reading this book, and that was the very final twist on the last page. That one I never saw coming and may be my biggest reason for wanting to read Tempest, book 3, when it's released rather than waiting for a cheap paperback copy.

So can I really have liked a book when it was so predictable and same-y? Can I really have not when I did still finish it in a day and enjoy (more or less) the final 100 pages (which is a quarter of the book)? I really don't know. It wasn't what I wanted from this second book. I wanted character development and a new story, and I didn't find that. There wasn't (bar the final one) any surprise because it was far to easy to see them coming chapters off, or simply because I could see the same patterns from Hush, Hush appearing. So overall, yes I was disappointed with this (and I realise I appear to be well in the minority here, please don't hate me for it). There was the odd moment I liked, and like I said the final 100 pages weren't bad, even if they were predictable (and I was rolling my eyes a bit through one particular 'tense' section). But Nora, gah, the girl drove me nuts!! And Patch felt flatter than he did in Hush, Hush, relying only on that mysterious/bad boy vibe to get him through and it didn't work for me. So...yeah, not a great read, and a disappointing sequel in my opinion, with some good moments.

Rating: 4/10

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday, what are you reading? is a weekly post hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey, giving the chance to share what you've been reading over the past week and plan on reading over the coming one.

Managed to get a fair bit of reading done in the past week, despite starting riding again. I've just had what was my 3rd riding lesson in 6 days and...well, so say I'm barely awake right now would be putting it simply. I am going to crash when I'm done with this post.

Anyway...read this past week:
To Kill a Warlock by HP Mallory [review - author interview + giveaway]
Gone by Lisa McMann [review]
Matched by Ally Condie [soo awesome!! review]
Afterlife by Claudia Gray [review won't be posted until closer to release, but it was great!]
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick [review coming later--in theory]

Huh, you know, when it's all listed cleanly like that it makes me stop and go 'wow'. That was a lot to fit in given my exhaustion and muscle pain levels. Cool! [mindless babble...yeah, sleep required big time...]

On to this week and first up is Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. Another Net Galley eARC. I actually started this one last night, read chapter one and loved it, so very excited to get in to it later when I'm more awake.

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy.

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by HP Mallory.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

And I want to finish my reread of Vampire Academy which started and stalled for shiny new ARC's.

Okay, so that's an incredibly wishful thinking plan for this week, I'll be curious to see how far I've actually got next week!

Hope you all have a good week reading :)

Matched by Ally Condie

I won an ARC copy of Matched from Jenny at Wondrous Reads. Thank you! Matched is released November 30th in the US, Dec 2nd in the UK.

"In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.


Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow - between perfection and passion."

First off, I've been wanting this book badly ever since I first heard about it. It sounded great, has an awesome cover, and early reviews kept popping up saying 'it's awesome!' So I was naturally delighted when I opened my emails to discover that I had won an ARC copy. For one reason and another it took almost 2 weeks before I could start it, despite wanting to dive right in to it, but oh heck. SO worth the wait! Matched is completely fantastic. Of course, now I have a longer wait for the sequel *facepalm* I couldn't put this book down. It's fantastically done, beautifully written with an almost poetic quality.

Cassia is, as the Society inspires, naive and 'perfect'. It's a stark world she lives in, a perfect one, Society decides everything for the best of everyone and they're never wrong. There are 100 songs, 100 poems and so on, never new ones being created. Society says what you do and when, and Cassia has always trusted them, always followed the rules. But at heart, she's a rebel. It barely shows at first, just a hint here and there, but grows as events unfold and things change. And I completely love her character. I felt sorry for her, the way she, and everyone in fact, appears to be puppets rather than human beings with thoughts and feelings. But Cassia's personality grew massively throughout the book and I just loved it.

Ky. Oh Ky! I have a new top level fictional love. He and Cassia have known each other for years, but no one really knows him. He's quite the mystery, not quite like the others. He's smart, and awesome and, well, like I said, I love him.

I love Xander, Cassia's best friend and 'Match' as well, and Cassia's family too. All the characters are really well drawn. I love how they're all far deeper and more complex than first appears. As the story unfolds, there are layers continually being peeled back, revealing more and more as they go. It's true of the world Cassia lives in as well as the characters actually. More and more gradually being revealed and it's spectacularly done. It creates a tension, a mystery, that I couldn't drag myself away from. I had to know what happened next.

Obviously the romance is a pretty strong theme throughout the book, but it's far from the only one. It's also the story of a girl waking up, realising who she is, what the world around her is like, how to survive. It's as much about everything around Cassia as Cassia herself. Perfect blend of internal battle and external one.

The place itself, the world Cassia lives in, scares the hell out of me. Seriously. 100 songs/poems/books/whatever picked years ago and nothing else is allowed to be made/created? Your job/spouse/exercise/food is all dictated by what 'suits you best'. And no one questions it because Society is always right. Everyone is supposed to be equal, everyone is meant to follow the rules, because then everything stays perfect. The Society even decide when you die (it's your 80th birthday in case you're wondering). Scary as hell, maybe because you can see it as real. Censorship taken to the extreme. A dictatorship of evil hidden under the guise of being 'perfect'. It's easy to see the people as puppets, to see their lives as limited and wonder how they don't all go crazy. But it's what they're used to, it's been that way for a couple generations, so no one questions. *shudders*

The ending is spectacular. Gripping, intense, beautiful, heart wrenching and brilliant. It was one of those times where you get to the final page and turn it over expecting more because a) you HAVE to know what happens next and b) Why the Hell was it left there?! So like I said at the start, I'm now desperate for the sequel (no title/date yet, sadly), it's one of the top books on my 'Must Haves' list for sure. This was one of the best dystopian books I've read, if not the best [wonders how much flack she's gonna take for saying that]. Yes really. Easily one of my favourite reads of 2010. If this book isn't on your To-Buy list, put it there, right now. My ARC copy doesn't have the pretty cover, so of course I'm getting one, and I'll be buying at least one more copy for a friend for Christmas. Love, love, love.

Rating: 10/10 [as if it would be anything else!]

In My Mailbox [5]

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren. It's a chance to share what books we've bought/received in the previous week.

I didn't post a IMM last week as I had nothing to report. Why? Because I am on a self imposed book buying ban. Which as it turned out, timed perfectly or I wouldn't be able to afford my riding lessons which I'm just about to start again. Yay! Except, it's also going to mean less books once again, generally speaking. Oh well. Anyway, the ban means the titles I've received this week are all review titles from various sources, plus one book that I won.

Okay, for review, from Lynsey at UK Book Tours I received:

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy
ARC copy of Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

From NetGalley and HarperTeen I've got:
Afterlife by Claudia Gray [I already finished this one and 'fab!' is all I'm saying about it right now.]
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

And finally for review titles, direct from the author:
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H. P. Mallory.

I also won a signed ARC copy of Magic at the Gate by Devon Monk!

That post-it was on the cover when I took it out the envelope, but I put it inside for safe keeping ;)

So really was a 'In My Mailbox' week, virtually and in reality (...if you ignore the fact of my being in the UK means it's not a mailbox and it comes straight through the front door to land on the doormat...). A great week as well! So excited to get in to all of these titles, I'm seriously at a loss as to which to decide on next!! A massive Thank You to all those who are responsible for supplying me with these titles.

What's in your mailbox this week?

Gone by Lisa McMann

Gone is the final book in the Dream Catcher trilogy, following Wake and Fade. Some spoilers for both of those books ahead, Fade in particular!!

After the events of Fade, turning in three of her teachers as rapists after a daunting undercover operation, and everyone knowing all the details after the court case, Janie just wants to be left alone. She needs a break. And Cabel isn't helping things with his nightmares, his fears of coping with Janie as she deteriorates thanks to her dream catcher abilities. And yet, he'd do anything for her. She knows she's lucky to have him, but her future is dark and she wonders if it's really something she can put him through.

But Janie isn't getting a break. There is a man in a coma and it turns out he's her father. A man she's never known. He's dying, and suddenly Janie is forced to face her mothers past, the relationship that resulted in Janie's existence. She thought she knew what she was doing. But his secrets could change everything.

I loved Wake and Fade. They sucked me in within moments and I couldn't put them down, I just wanted more, so of course I was really looking forward to starting Gone. Overall, it didn't really disappoint. But I didn't love it as much as Fade. Fade was incredibly intense, dark and just fantastic. Gone isn't so intense. I still couldn't really put it down, I was still hooked, but it didn't, for me at least, have the same kind of intensity of Fade. It wasn't that Janie was having an easy time, far from it, but it was more personal turmoil. This book was about Janie, where she's from, her future and the decisions she has to make.

My heart ached for Janie as she tried to deal with things and I was very proud of her at times as well. I love Cabe, always have, but he plays a little less of a role here. Not a bad thing, it's how the story had to work, but I did miss him. Captain...gotta be one of my favourite side characters full stop. I love the way she cares, the way she pushes, and generally how she's just totally awesome.

Despite not being the intense, dramatic, heart-pounding ride Fade was, I still loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. Like the two books before it, it moves along quickly. I confess that to a certain extent I was a little disappointed with certain aspects of this book. The mystery that surrounded Wake and Fade wasn't here. I could easily guess what was going on and I wondered on more than one occasion why Janie hadn't. I've read several reviews since finishing Gone from people who weren't happy with it, who felt the characterization was off, and to a certain extent I can understand that. But for me, I could see why Janie and Cabe were acting the way they were. It worked for me. I wasn't always happy with them, unlike the previous two books, but I could see where they were coming from and I like that it's not been plain sailing for them.

And yet, despite Gone's flaws, I was satisfied with the ending. I felt it wrapped the issues from the trilogy well and ended with the right attitude with Janie and Cabe. I still wanted more though. I just love this series, the way it's written, grabs out and doesn't let go. I love Janie and her struggles, her strength and of course I adore Cabe. He's so much stronger than he realises and I just love him. I'd love for there to be more from these characters, and I'd especially love for there to be a full book from Cabe's perspective, but it was a good ending for them here. Another great read, even if I didn't find myself adoring it as I did Fade. I'd highly recommend this trilogy.


Rating: 8/10

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books

This is my first time taking part in Book Blogger Hop! Click the link above to head to the site for details about joining in :)

This weeks question: 

What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

Tea is my usual vice. I realise as I'm English this is totally cliched, but yes, I'm a bit of a tea addict. I'm very often drinking tea while blogging, less so when reading.

Interview with HP Mallory and Giveaway!!

Giveaway now closed. Winner will be announed shortly.

I read HP's 'To Kill a Warlock' just a couple of days ago and thoroughly enjoyed it [review] and now I'm delighted to be able to bring you an interview I've done with her. There's also a chance to win a free ebook copy of To Kill a Warlock below!

Cem: What made you decide to write in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre rather than any other?

HP: I’ve always loved anything to do with the paranormal and so my interest was already there. I read quite a bit of urban fantasy and paranormal romance series, such as the Sookie Stackhouse series and the Anita Blake series so it was probably a natural progression that I would want to write in the same genres. Also, the freedom to create in paranormal fiction is really limitless so my imagination knows no bounds. 

Cem: Why did you choose to go down the self published route, and is it a decision you're glad you made?

HP: I’m very glad I made this decision as it has allowed me to control my own writing career. It really happened more as a last option than anything else. I started with the big New York agent and when that didn’t go anywhere, I asked myself if I wanted to continue just sitting on my books and the answer was a resounding no! So, I decided to just put them out there and thought I’d be lucky if I sold 20. Well, I’ve sold nearly 3000 now and I’ve never looked back. I made this decision just a few months ago and it’s been the best decision I’ve made in a long time. There is nothing like receiving emails from my fans letting me know how much they enjoyed my books. I couldn’t be happier.

Cem: What's your writing process? Do you plan out everything in advance or wing it?

HP: I plan everything out in as much as I know what will happen in each book. I outline it in terms of brainstorming ideas I have and then figuring out where those ideas will take form. Then before I write each chapter, I think about the chapter for a week or so, deciding what should happen and in what order.

Cem: What's a typical writing day for you like?

HP: I wake up at 5 am and write or edit for 1.5 hours. Then I go to work, pick up my son and play with him and his dad (lol) until 8 pm, when he goes to bed. Then I edit chapters from 8-10 pm each night. I write each new chapter on a weekend day. Not a lot of time but I make it work.

Cem: I loved Sam, Dulcie's best friend in To Kill a Warlock, because she's always there for her, willing to help however she can. But as any good friend should, she also teases Dulcie, giving her a hard time over certain things. Which of your characters, from any of your work, is your favourite and why?

HP: Well, I love Jolie from Fire Burn because I really relate to her. I love Dulcie, too, especially because she’s so strong but I don’t quite relate to her as well as I do Jolie. As far as the men go, hmmm. I definitely love Rand from Fire Burn but Sinjin is also winning my affection. And from Warlock, I can’t really decide between Knight and Quill.

Cem: What other books do you currently have in the works and when can we expect to be able to read them? 

HP: I’m just finishing up the next book in the Jolie series, Toil and Trouble. It will be released Jan 1. I’m also working on a graphic novel of Warlock (think comic book) which will be released in episodes of about 3-4 chapters each. That won’t be for a while though because my artist and I are still storyboarding.

Cem: Finally, if you could have any supernatural power or be any supernatural being, what would you pick?

HP: I would love to have the ability to read minds, but only when I wanted to. Would be pretty awesome! Of all supernatural beings, vampires probably intrigue me the most.

-----

Reading minds hmm? Oh how much easier life could be at times with that!

Big thanks to HP for taking the time to answer my questions! She's also offering the chance for one of you to win a e-copy of To Kill a Warlock! A very good, funny read that I highly recommend!

The small print:
- Open internationally

- You MUST fill in the form below to enter.

- The only thing required for entry is to leave your name (or alias) and an email address for contacting if you win.

- Giveaway closes 22nd October, midnight UK time. Winner will be chosen via Random.org contacted, announced on the blog, and have 48 hours to reply.

Extra entries available (keeping this very simple):

+1 for commenting on this post

+1 for tweeting the giveaway (please link to me, @cem_214 so I can easily track them)

+2 for being a blog follower

Also don't forget that my UK giveaway for a signed copy of Jennifer Lynn Barnes Raised by Wolves is still open here. And you can gain bonus early entries for my up coming 100 followers giveaway here.

To Kill a Warlock by H. P. Mallory

"The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose. A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate. Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.

Dulcie O'Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She's a Regulator - law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them from wreaking havoc in the mortal world.

When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she's either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim.

Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie. Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie's got her hands full.

As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals."

I first heard about this title via a Teaser Tuesday post on another blog a couple weeks back (sorry but I forget which one!!) and the teaser made me laugh so I checked the book out. As a pretty cheap read on the Kindle, I decided to give it a shot and I wasn't disappointed. It took just a couple of paragraphs to make me laugh as when Dulcie is introduced, she's...in a little bit of a sticky situation. A very funny one.

Dulcie is a fairy, working in law enforcement, her best friend is a witch, she's self conscious, dedicated, smart, a struggling writer and has a crush on her very hot boss. She's working a particularly hard case, with some interesting twists. One of the biggest being Knight Vander, who is working undercover. Only Dulcie is allowed to know why he's there, who he is (well, to a certain extent) and other select details about the case. I found Knight as entertaining as Dulcie, especially towards the end when, erm, something happened that made things that much more interesting. Not that they weren't before, because they were. But I think my favourite character was actually Sam, Dulcie's best friend. She'd not seen too much, but she's everything a best friend should be. Smarter, totally trust worthy, and willing to tease and push Dulcie when it's needed. Also, Sam is a witch and with some of the situations Dulcie finds herself in, this makes for a very useful job and an entertaining one as well.

I don't often read lighter, humorous fantasy. I'm a much bigger fan of dark urban fantasy. It just tends to suit me better, dark, dangerous, constantly facing difficult decisions and life threatening...threats. I can find works like this where its got a lighter feel to it, where humor is one of the biggest focuses (in all aspects of the story), tedious, dull and irritating. I can't often find myself really getting in to them. But in this case, I did. I actually struggled to put it down (well, okay, not when WEG was on, but no book will deter me from WEG coverage right now, so it did take me several days to finish it).

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I really didn't figure out what was going on until the reveal. I guessed a couple things, but even those I only got partially right, a chapter or two before it happened. All the characters seem to have far more to them than you first assume. They're well rounded and believable. One of my favourite aspects of Dulcie is not actually her strength, but her self consciousness. It's not really a spoiler to say this so I'll explain a little more. Dulcie doesn't like having pointed ears. She thinks it's a big personal flaw and stops her being pretty despite being petite and slim. I think it's something that makes her very 'normal' for lack of a better word. Because I am certain every single person has something about themselves they wish they could change, something they worry about. And Dulcie has that, which helps make her that much easier to relate to, to care about. There were times when I did really wonder about Dulcie's sanity, I have to admit, but even when I was, I wasn't annoyed with her, I was laughing. And not really at her either, because I could see why she was thinking/doing what she was.

A fast paced read, a fun world to be a part of with some great world building. It's funny without being crazy or that feeling of the author trying too hard. The romantic aspect of the story wasn't actually given the page time I thought it would be, with other factors often over riding it. But it was fun and entertaining as well as having a unhurried feel to it, which I really liked. I actually only realised after I'd started the book (because apparently I didn't bother really looking in to it before buying it, I should stop doing that) that the author is self-published. So I admit I was more impressed at that point, because it really is a very well put together book with great characters and I was left wanting to know what happens next for Dulcie. It is well wrapped up, no major hanging plot lines and a satisfying conclusion, but plenty of room to explore more things in the next book. Which I'm really looking forward to and hope will be out sooner rather than later!! And I'm also really looking forward to trying her other book currently out, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, of which HP was kind enough to provide me with a copy of for review. I'm hoping to start it next week at some point, so look out for a review of that one as well. Currently HP's works are only available in ebook format, but don't let that put you off because really, you should read this!! Check out Smashwords for them, where they can be downloaded in various formats (or of course use Amazon directly for Kindle versions like me).


Rating: 8/10

Special Note: check back in a few days when I'll have an interview with H.P. and a chance to win a copy of one of her books!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine which highlights the future releases we're eagerly anticipating.

In defense of all my ranting in the previous post about the UK cover of Last Sacrifice, I'm very tempting to post that as my WOW this week. But I'm saving it for November, when it gets to that point where all I can say is 'I NEED Last Sacrifice NOW!!!' So instead, here is one of my top picks from 2011:

Title: The Iron Witch
Author: Karen Mahoney
Release date: 1st Feb 2011 (US) 3rd Feb 2011 (UK)

"FREAK. That’s what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna’s own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect."

I've read and loved both Kaz's short stories in the YA anthologies 'The Eternal Kiss' and 'Kiss Me Deadly' about a teen vampire named Moth, so I'm very excited for her first full novel, despite me not always being the biggest fan of faeries. It sounds fantastic, I really liked her writing in those two shorts and it has a stunning cover. What's not to be excited about?!

What's your WoW this week?

For more info:
Karen Mahoney's website
Goodreads page
Karen Mahoney on Twitter