The Regenerates by Maansi Pandya (Review)

   Oh gosh, no. Just no. It physically hurt to read this book. I feel bad about this, but I have to recommend you NEVER read this book. It is terrible from the get-go. It was boring and badly planed. The moments that should be described were pretty much skipped and the parts nobody really cared about were drawn out painfully. The character development and the development of their relationships were non-existent. I’ll give it the iota of credit that it did improve towards the end, but it only went from “Terrible” to “Not As Terrible”. I couldn't even tell sometimes if the book was in first or third person, and I really could not connect with ANY characters because of that. I admit the cover and blurb looked great, and is very eye catching, but don’t be deceived. This book was a crap read. I almost didn’t finish the book, but I forced myself to finish. I give The Regenerates the brutally honest review of ONE STAR.

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Happy Halloween!

Sunset Rising by S.M.McEachern (Review)

    Very interesting plot line for sure, and is quite relevant to this time, with nuclear warheads being in the US being in the news recently.  Sunset rising is about Sunset O’Donnell, an “urchin” in in a post-apocalyptic world. In her world, nuclear war has struck, forcing a city and some of the military to take residence in a created environment called “The Dome”.  Early on, the leader of the military forces the civilians who took refuge there into a contract that makes them nothing more than slaves, and guarantees they will be killed or “culled” fifty years old. Three hundred some years later in comes Sunset. The labor and treatment of her people has gotten worse, and the age of culling has been lowered to thirty-five years old. Sunny gets sucked into a political scandal unwittingly, and everything in her hard by mundane life changes. The people like her, living in the “Pit”, want change, want freedom, and equality; and with Sunny’s scandal, they might just be ready to fight for it.

    I really enjoyed this book, it was increasingly interesting and action packed. Although, I do feel like it dragged on a bit. I feel like things didn't need to take as long to pick up as they did. The rising action didn't really start until I was around thirty-eight percent into the book. That was a long thirty-eight percent of reading time. But I believe that it was totally worth it, because once it picked up, I fell in love. I honestly do recommend this book and give it a sold rating of four stars.

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring C.J. Redwine!

Bio

She loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and Sherlock. She lives in Nashville with her husband and children. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she'll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. C.J. Redwine writes speculative fiction and is represented by Holly Root of Waxman Leavall Literary Agency. She's spent the last five years teaching workshops on all areas of writing. C.J. regularly offers workshops online and can also be booked for teen workshops at schools and libraries, as well as adult workshops at conferences, writing chapters, and book festivals. To learn more about C.J., visit her website: http://cjredwine.com/

What has she written?

She is the author of Outcast:

(Defiance 0.5),

 Defiance (Defiance #1), 

Deception (Defiance, #2), 

and Deliverance (Defiance, #3)

Now onto the Interview!

1)    How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

I've been writing stories since the 2nd grade. I began with short stories, added poetry when I was 11, and then started working on novels when I was 17. I got serious about writing novels and pursuing publication when I was 30.

2)    What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

I hope to transport readers to another world, to give them an intimate connection with my characters, and to show them the hard lessons my characters learn along the way.

3)    What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

Write often, read often, and don't censor your voice. Let yourself write what and how you please. It's okay if it sucks at first--it always does, but the stories you have to tell in the way you want to tell them are what set you apart from the rest.

4)     What is your favourite novel, why?

I don't have just one! Ack! This question is causing me stress, lol. I love so many books across the spectrum. When I was younger, the Chronicles of Narnia were hugely instrumental in opening my imagination and giving me a taste of what it was like to completely leave my own world behind for a while, so I will say that they are my favorites.

5)    Who is your favourite author, why?

C.S. Lewis, and not just because of Narnia. If you've ever looked up quotes from him, you'll find a man with a fierce intellect, an instinctive understanding of what it means to be human, and an unshakeable belief that fairy tales are important and that only the foolish adult scoffs at imagination.

6)    What are your favorite pass times besides writing?

I love watching movies (especially in the theater), keeping up with the shows I love (Hiiii BBC and CW, I'm looking at you), hanging out with my family, and trying new restaurants.

7)    Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?

My mom for taking me to the library every week and letting me check out 20 books every time. For encouraging me to read widely. And for not batting an eye when her daughter believed in dragons and fairies and kingdoms unseen by regular people.

8)    What are the top five things on your bucket list?

a) Visit the UK and Ireland

b) Own a little house on a beach

c) Meet Benedict Cumberbatch without making a fool of myself in the process

d) See one of my books be made into a movie

e) Do a tour of European castles

9)    What is your funniest childhood memory?

My dad had a huge drawer full of socks, which my mother would pair off, fold up, and then roll together into perfect little balls. A few times a year, my sister and I would raid his sock drawer, take up fortified positions behind the living room couches, and fire those missiles at my dad when he walked into the room. He would immediately dive for cover of his own, collected the missiles we'd thrown his way, and another Great Sock War would commence.

10)    To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

You don't have to have it all figured out. You really don't. Life is the kind of journey where some things become clear pretty early, and other things remain a mystery for decades. Be kind to others and to yourself, and give yourself permission to not have all of the difficult stuff nailed down right now.

Also, you are amazing. You have talents and ambitions and stories to tell that no one else has in that exact combination or in your exact voice. You are unique and special and anyone who makes you feel like you are LESS for any reason is an idiot.

Armageddon by Christina Bauer (Review)

Woohoo! I love this book! It made me so emotional and sucked me right into the story. I feel like I'm on a winning streak, considering the past five books I have read have all been great, which is not normal at all for me and my bad luck. In Armageddon, the third installment of the Angle bound series, the king of hell wants war, and he is going to do everything in his power to get it.

In a classic Hellen of Troy move, Armageddon kidnaps the much loved toddler of Myla and Lincoln, Maxon. This book is action packed to the brim, and brings out the protective instinct in anything that is relatively human. I have never felt so protective of a book character in a long time, and that’s saying something. I love the world that Christina Bauer paints in her Anglebound series, with its battles, romance, and witty dialogue. It gave me such a clear mental image, it was as if I was watching a movie.I had a great time reading this book and without a doubt recommend it. I sometimes worry that I give out too many high star ratings, but I care more about giving a fair to the novel ratings than anything else. I am contented to give Armageddon FIVE STARS!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Alpha Divided by Aileen Erin (Review)

   I have read the first two books in the Alpha girl series, and was obsessed with them. They were amazing. Anyhoo, needless to say, I was pumped to read Alpha Divided, but I made sure I started reading without any bias. So I must say, this novel is, without a doubt, wonderful. I felt like an excited Jennifer Lawrence. Happy, giddy, and slightly insane.

    What did I love so much about this book? Well, beside the smexy couple of the year of Dastien and Tessa, which was perfectly preserved from the first book of the series… Definitely the mystery. I never knew what was happening. I was always wondering what was going to happen, but at the same time, I was always making connections and that kept me from feeling like I was left behind. I don’t like feeling like I am being left behind in a story, at all, it can ruin a story.

    Of course, this book had its flaws. I feel like the conflict had lost some of its potency in this book. I felt little to none, real anger or hatred for the villains for the right reasons. I felt mostly angry because they were getting in the way of my Tessa and Dastien time.

    I most definitely recommend Alpha Divided and the Alpha Girl series to all Young Adult romance lovers for sure. I believe that it could definitely become one of your all time favorites. I give this book an honest review of four and a half stars!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Cipher by Alieen Erin (Review)

       Oooooh! Right in the feels! 

   Wow, simply wow. Alieen, you are the master of hitting me right in feels. I L-O-V-E-D this book so much! Thank you for the honor of being one of the first to read it. The only real complaint I have about it is that I want more! Its rare that I can’t find at least a few faults in a novel, but Cipher seems to be the true exception. Its humor, romance and action had me so hooked. If there is something wrong with this book, I was too distracted to notice. I totally recommend this book. Cipher, and Knight are the coolest characters ever. Super computer hacker, Cipher in on the run from their equivalent of the government. Why? Because she was born with unstable genetics. They (The crazies in charge) think people like her are too dangerous to live. Therefor they kill people like her as babies. Luckily for her, a group called the Shadow Ravens saved her. 

   People call people like Cipher, Reds, they are dangerous because of the powers they get from their genetics. Cipher has super powers. She can control electricity. Mind that I say "control" lightly. Where does this Knight guy come in? Knight knew Cipher from before she went on the run. She saved his life, and he wants to repay her... Oh yah, and he might or might not be in love with her. ;) 

    Two epic people, love, hackers, and explosions lead to an amazing read. I recommend it all the way! I happily give Cipher FIVE STARS!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

A is for Abstinence (V is for Virgin #2) by Kelly Oram (Review)

   I loved the first book in this series, V is for Virgin, and had high expectations for A is for Abstinence, I'm not exactly disappointed but I feel a wee bit let down. If feel like the connection with Val and Kyle grew weaker as the book went on. It definitely not as good as V is for Virgin. I had hoped that the second book would be in the perspective of Valery like the first was, but it was in Kyle view. Not bad, at some point I really loved it, and in others I hated it. I will not spoil the end, but I do have to say it was waaaay to abrupt. I feel like there was an in-between that was missing from before the end, and the actual end. If that makes any sense. Now, to the good parts of the novel. There was definite romantic satisfaction. And I LOVE Kyle and Val sooooo much. I would totally fan girl over them! The backgrounds stories were so cute and made me so happy. I kept saying "awwwwww, that's so sweet!" I give A is for Abstinence 3 and a half stars!

Here is the link for the review of  V is for Virgin:

http://thenotsopubliclibrary.blogspot.ca/2014/10/v-is-for-virgin-by-kelly-oram-review.html

V is for Virgin (V is for Virgin #1) by Kelly Oram (Review)

  I was iffy about this book since the moment I read the title. V is for Virgin? It sounded to me like a book where a girl is trying to get rid of her virginity. Maybe going to clubs and parties to do so. That did not sound like a good time to me at all. As I started reading, I am more then happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was indeed the opposite of what I thought I was about. Instead of trying to loose her virginity, Virginia is trying to remain a virgin till marriage. This is a story about a girl who starts a campaign to promote not having to feel pressured into sex, using her talent to make jewelry. It promotes stay a virgin if you wish, and is a abstinence challenge for those who have already "done it" but want to stop. Of course, no romance book is a romance without a seriously attractive guy falling for her. Kyle is a rock star, and after being snubbed by her at a concert, he is hooked. He cannot get this "Virgin Val" out of his mind. This leads to some seriously steamy moment. But they all remain PG. I LOVED this book. This book definitely earned it rating of 5 STARS!  

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Talon by Julie Kagawa Excerpt!

TALON EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:

"I sighed.  Riley, Dante, Garret.  Three impossible boys who, for different reasons, were making my life very difficult.  Dante for being a paranoid jerk sometimes. Who said I could trust him but then agreed with everything Talon said. Who was a perfect model student, didn't bend the rules and expected me to do the same. Riley, a rogue dragon who encouraged me to do the exact opposite. Who flaunted Talon's laws and tempted me with the secrets he possessed, and the freedom he represented. Who called to my dragon and was impossible to ignore.

And Garret. A human. Enough said right there.”

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Julie Kagawa!

                      Bio

  Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time (okay, at least the illustrations did), but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a
real job.
  To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, an obnoxious cat, an Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and a hyper-active Papillion.

What has she written? 

The Iron Fey series: The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen, The Iron Knight

The Blood of Eden series: The Immortal Rules, The Eternity Cure, The Forever Song

The Call of the Forgotten: The Lost Prince, The Iron Traitor, Untitled book 3

The TALON series (first book coming October 28th!)
For an exclusive excerpt chosen by Julie herself for our reading pleasure, click here:

                  http://thenotsopubliclibrary.blogspot.ca/2014/10/talon-by-julie-kagawa-excerpt.html

Now for the Interview!!

1) What made you decide to start writing?

Well, the original life goal was to be a veterinarian, but then I discovered you had to be somewhat good at Math to really pursue that career.  And since numbers hate me, I decided to give the writing thing a go.

I met my agent at an annual writer’s workshop in Kentucky, where I live.  I’d been going to this workshop for nearly ten years trying to get published, but that year my agent liked my writing enough to take me on.  But she never sold that first book, and after a year of rejections from various publishers, she told me to start writing something else.  So I did.  I wrote The Iron King in about two months, and at that point Harlequin Teen was just beginning to look for novels for its new Young Adult (YA) imprint.  My agent sent them The Iron King, and the rest, as they say, is history.

2) Tell us a little bit about your Blood of Eden series. What is different about THE FOREVER SONG?

It's a much darker book than say, my Iron Fey series.  In this world, the vampires are scary, the world has fallen into ruin, and there are things out there that want to eat you.  Allie is still a vampire trying desperately to hang onto her humanity, and in The Forever Song, she will face tests and trials unlike anything she's ever encountered before.

3) How did the idea for this book/series arise? What are your major inspirations (TV, film, other literature/stories)? 

I was toying with the idea of writing a post-apocalyptic series after The Iron Fey, when my agent asked how I felt about writing vampires.  Granted, I'd never planned to do a vampire book, but then I wondered what would happen if I combined the two, vampires and post-apocalyptic.  And voila, the idea for The Immortal Rules was born.

Inspiration-wise, I wanted to bring back the scary, non-cuddly vampires, so Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Underworld, White Wolf's Vampire the Masquerade/Requiem, and the original Dracula were all inspirations for the vamps in The Immortal Rules, The Eternity Cure and The Forever Song.

4) What about the vampire myth, in your opinion, has held the YA reader's fascination for so long? What about vampires makes them so timeless?

I think it's that balance of monster vs. human that makes vampires so fascinating.  Vampires are monsters; they're dead, they crave blood, they're unnaturally strong and fast, and they prey on humans.  And yet, they're so much like us, with feelings and uncertainties and regrets.  Some have made peace with what they've become, some revel in it and are true monsters, and some still struggle with the fact that they're no longer human.  But they still remember what it's like--they were all human, once.  And that, I think, is what makes vampires so intriguing. 

5) Take us through a typical writing day for you. 

It's actually fairly boring.  I wake up, do my morning things, and head into my office (sometimes in pajamas, best part of writing full time) to sit at my computer.  I check email, Twitter, Facebook, and eventually get to opening up my work from the previous day.  Then I write, either until I have at least a thousand words, or until five o' clock rolls around.  Unless I'm in Deadline Panic Mode and the wordage quota goes up and I'm forced to turn off the internet because I'm so easily distracted by online happenings.  I sometimes get lost in the Twitterverse and lose hours of otherwise productive time.

6) How does it feel to have your books translated in multiple languages around the world? 

Pretty surreal.  I have a special bookshelf in my office for the foreign editions of the books, and every time I see it I have to smile.  It’s awe-inspiring to know that your books are being read around the world in France or Germany or Japan or Italy.  And words cannot express my love for the Japanese covers.  Manga-style Ash!

7) What's next for you?

Right now I'm moving on to the third book in the Call of The Forgotten series, the spin-off series of The Iron Fey.  And after that, I have a new series called TALON that I hope will be epic. It features dragon shifter teens, so how can you not like that? Universal Pictures has optioned it for a movie, so it’s going to be great.

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Kelly Oram!

                                   Bio
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen—a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat named Mr. Darcy.

                        What has she written?
Kelly Oram has written: The Avery Shaw Experiment, V is for Virgin, A is for Abstinence, Serial Hottie, Being Jamie Baker, More Than Jamie Baker, Kissing Jamie Baker, Remember Jamie Baker, Chameleon, Ungifted, and Cinder & Ella.

I am hosting a giveaway of Serial Hottie, The Avery Shaw Experiment, V is for Virgin, A is for Abstinence, and her newest release of Cinder and Ella. Go here to join, for a chance to win it for yourself: http://thenotsopubliclibrary.blogspot.ca/2014/10/kelly-oram-giveaway.html
Share it with your friends!

Now Onto the Interview!

 1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion? 

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have stories that my parents kept as early back as first grade, and I completed my first novel when I was age 15.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works? 

I mostly just want them to have a good time. I want them to be entertained. I want them to meet some new people, have an adventure, and hopefully fall in love.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

 Read a ton. Write a ton. And repeat the process. Over and over again.

4) What is your favourite novel, why? 

LOL as if I could narrow it down to one??? Ugh. How about narrowing it down to top 3? Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson, Broken Aro(series) by Jen Wylie, and Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles. I love them all for different reasons, but they are all my favorites mainly because of the characters and relationships.

5) Who is your favourite author, why? 

Again, making me choose just one is cruel! I suppose if I had to pick one I’d say Meg Cabot. I love just about every book she’s ever written. She’s an author I try to aspire to be like, in tone, voice, and writing style. And she was one of the first YA authors I discovered and really helped me develop a love for reading.

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing? 

Reading! (I read 2-3 books a week on average.)Watching baseball (Go Dbacks!), playing golf, hanging with my family.

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most? 

My parents I guess, because I feel like I was born with my creativity. It’s always been there, and it just cones naturally.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list? 

Travel the world. Skydive. Be a grandma. Have one of my books made into a movie. Learn several foreign languages.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory? 

Probably perfecting the “elephant” dance. It’s my signature move. And don’t ask to see it, because that will never happen. :P 

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be? 

Figure out who you are and then be true to yourself. 

11) What inspired you to write your newest novel, Cinder & Ella? 

I’ve always wanted to do a Cinderella adaptation. It’s my all-time favorite fairy tale. 

12) What part/scene of the book are you most proud of? 

That is so hard! I’m proud of the entire book, and different scenes for different reasons. 

13) How long on average did it take you to write Cinder & Ella?

The first draft took me five weeks. That’s crazy fast for a 98k word novel—though the first draft was a little shorter. Most of the time I average between 3-6 months. Some novels take me a lot longer. *cough* Jamie 3 *cough*

14) You have written a great deal of books. Of all of these works, which is your personal favourite? Why is it? 
 I don’t know how to answer that one either. I love them all differently for different reasons. If I had to narrow it down though, probably Cinder & Ella (because of my love for Cinderella) or Serial Hottie, because that one is a little off-the-wall quirky—just like me. It shows my warped sense of humor, and Ellie Westley is definitely the most like me of all my characters. 

Kelly Oram Giveaway!

Giveaway!

       In celebration of my celebration of reaching my FIRST 50 POSTS! Whoohoo! And in addition to the awesome Kelly Oram's release of her newest novel Cinder and Ella, I am hosting a much loved... drum roll please... GIVEAWAY! In this giveaway you have a chance to win a Signed Kelly Oram Contemporary Collection!  In which consists of her books known as Serial Hottie, The Avery Shaw Experiment, V is for Virgin, A is for Abstinence, and her newest release of Cinder and Ella.
a Rafflecopter giveaway