Cover Reveal for THE AWAKENED in 4 Days! Sign Up Now!

Only four days away from the official reveal of the cover! I received the final, beautiful, amazing, decease fantastical cover today and I’m so insanely excited to share it with all of you! You are going to seriously love it all SO insanely much!!!

And I’m looking for help! I need to spread the word about this book as much as I possibly can. This is my debut novel and I want it to do AMAZING! I have a seriously AWESOME YA author reading and blurbing the book (eek!) and I’m just so excited for everything guys. Ben and I have so many great ideas for this book, there’s going to be an EPIC giveaway for preorders and there is even going to be a release party!

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Happy Release Day to Gabriella Lepore and OfTomes Publishing!

I am so happy to be celebrating the release of Gabriella Lepore’s novel, adiposity Secrets in Phoenix! Not only is it SO good so far (I’m about halfway), but it is the first novel being published by the amazing Benjamin Alderson of OfTomes Publishing.

The second, of course, will be The Awakened by me! Eek!

Anyway, I’m SO excited that this book is finally out in the world and that all of you guys can read it! Its an awesome book so far, and Gabriella is my author sis at OfTomes and I’m so proud of Ben for putting this company together. I’d love to tell you a bit more about the book and Gabriella herself and I hope that you guys can check it out and get your hands on it!

About Gabriella Lepore

Gabriella is the author of the Witches of the Glass Castle series, How I Found You and Evanescent. Her book, Secrets in Phoenix, is the first novel published by OfTomes Publishing. Make sure to follow her at the links below!

Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / GoodReads

About Secrets in Phoenix 

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When Sophie Ballester and her twin brothers Sam and Todd are uprooted from their home and sent to a remote boarding school run by their Great Aunt Ness, they stumble upon a hidden room that holds a secret—a secret that will change everything.

The people of Phoenix Holt are not what they seem.

In fact, nothing is.

Add it on GoodReads now or purchase it in ebook and paperback format on Amazon!

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Congratulations to both Ben and to Gabriella on today’s awesome release! Its SUCH a big day and I’m so so excited :) And I can’t WAIT to be a part of this super amazing family this December!

Don’t forget, head to Amazon and get your hands on a copy of Gabriella’s book now!

Book Events, Book Events, Book Events! Recap with Andrew Smith, Aaron Hartzler, Nicole Yoon, Cecil Castellucci, Leigh Bardugo and Stephenie Meyer!

I throw myself at your mercy, prostate my friends! I have attended so many events lately and I’ve sadly been so terrible at recapping them!

So I’ve decided to do a quick update of who I’ve met the past few months, and share some photos and some quick things about it!

September 8th – Andrew Smith at The Grove

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It’s always an awesome time seeing Andrew. I had been dying to get my hands on Stand-Off and I knew I had to get to this signing, no matter what happened. He read a bit of the book, which was absolutely hilarious, and signed books. He was such a sweetheart, and made sure to give me a big hug, which was awesome. I loved the way he signed my book…to be counted as his friend is honestly a huge honor. Aaron Hartzler was also there, and I figured it would be an awesome picture to get one of the two of them, because they’re just both so so awesome!

September 13th – Cecil Castellucci at the Long Beach Comic Con

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It is always awesome to see Miss Cecil! Sadly, I had missed her release party as well, which had made me so insanely sad since it was a new Princess Leia book! I got it on release date though, and when I heard she was going to be at LBCC, I knew I had to swing by her table and get her autograph, of course. I adore Cecil and if you haven’t read her Princess Leia book, you definitely should!

I also was able to meet Amy Mebberson, the fan artist who is AWESOME, and does one of my favorite series, Pocket Princesses. I also met Lindsey McKeon, who played Tessa the Reaper in Supernatural.

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September 24th – Aaron Hartzler at the Grove

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Then a few weeks later, I made my way back to the Grove to celebrate the release of Aaron Hartzler’s What We Saw. I read this book back in April as an ARC and just fell madly in love with it. I knew I had to get my hands on a copy, especially since Aaron is such a great friend. He gave me the BIGGEST hug when he found out my news about being published and it was just fabulous seeing him again. He read such a great part from the book too.

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It was fabulous too! Aaron pointed out the awesome Nicola Yoon during his event, and I was so sad that I had missed her own release party the week before that I practically sprinted to the YA section to grab a copy of her book to get it signed. She was SO sweet about it and signed it, and was just so so awesome.

October 7th – Leigh Bardugo at The Grove

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Leigh always is SUCH a fun time. She’s so funny and articulate and she always has the best events because she’s just such an awesome person. She makes me laugh like no other, and she’s so passionate about what she does. I LOVE going to see her and her new book is just fabulous! She had just found out that day that Six of Crows had debuted at #1 on the NYT best seller list too, so it was a great celebration!

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Me and Leigh’s mom! We’ve taken a picture together the last three years at Leigh’s release parties so it felt like tradition to do it once more! She’s just so awesome :)

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Its always so so great to see Leigh, but this time was even more awesome. She congratulated me on being published and wrote just the best thing in the world in my book, that made me smile so big and nearly drove me to tears. I’m so lucky to have such a great author as a friend, and that we were able to celebrate the awesomeness of being published (and soon to be published) together!

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My dad even went to the event with me! He’s been reading Six of Crows, which is awesome because he’s not a reader at all, and he decided to come with me, and meet Leigh!

October 12th – Stephenie Meyer at The Grove with Jake Abel

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I was actually really excited when I heard that Stephenie Meyer would be signing at The Grove for the tenth anniversary of Twilight. I’ve been reading it for ten years haha and its my biggest guilty pleasure for sure. I’ve also never met her, which is pretty crazy so I was excited to finally meet her! My dear friend, Lita, helped me get a good spot for the event and I was second row and perfectly set for the Q and A and the signing.

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It was also REALLY cool to see that she had brought along Jake Abel for the signing, to help with the Q and A. It was super simple, everyone wrote down questions on index cards, they selected a few backstage and then answered some during the event. They picked mine too, which was awesome and I made sure to record it too! If you don’t know Jake Abel, he played Ian in Stephenie Meyer’s The Host, and he also was Luke in Percy Jackson and Adam in Supernatural.

It was a SUPER great event. It was organized perfectly, it went smoothly and they even had a professional photographer to take your picture with Stephenie so that you got a picture but didn’t hold up the line with your phone or camera. It was absolutely seamless.

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This picture came out SO good. I love this professional photographer thing. It worked out so well and I truly love my picture so much.

Afterwards, Jake Abel had sort of disappeared, and I was kind of sad because I wanted to get a picture with him. I saw a friend of mine, who looked all happy, and asked if she knew where he was, so I totally tracked him down. He was with his wife, shopping for books, but he was insanely sweet about posing for a picture with me!

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And then I finally had a signed Twilight book in my collection!

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I hope you enjoyed this random recap of events! Hopefully from now on, I’ll be MUCH MUCH better at recapping!

Top Anticipated October Releases!

Young Adult

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl #2 (sort of)

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, dosage but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Release Date: October 6, 2015

My Thoughts: I literally can’t wait to get my hands on this book. As soon as Rainbow said she’d release it, I have just been counting down the days to hear more about Simon and Baz. Its so weird to be such a fan for a fandom that’s not even real but its so true. I adore Simon Snow and I can’t WAIT for this book!

A Madness so Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Grace Mae knows madness. She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum. When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

Release Date: October 6, 2015

My Thoughts: I think that Mindy has a beautiful way of writing and an incredible storyteller and I’m really excited to read this book. I’ve had an ARC for months but just haven’t had the time to read it, but I’m so excited for it!

Cinderella’s Shoes by Shonna Slayton 

Cinderella’s Dress #2

The war may be over, but Kate Allen’s life is still in upheaval. Not only has she discovered that Cinderella was real, but now she’s been made Keeper of the Wardrobe, her sole responsibility to protect Cinderella’s magical dresses from the greed of the evil stepsisters’ modern descendants. But Cinderella’s dresses are just the beginning. It turns out that the priceless glass slippers might actually exist, too, and they could hold the power to reunite lost loved ones like her father—missing in action since World War II ended. As Kate and her boyfriend, Johnny, embark on an adventure from New York to Italy and Poland in search of the mysterious slippers, they will be tested in ways they never imagined.

Release Date: October 6, 2015

My Thoughts: I LOVE LOVE LOVE the first book in this series and Shonna is so nice as hell, and I can’t wait for the second one. The main character is just sassy and wonderful and I really can’t wait for more adventures in this historical romance.

The White Rose by Amy Ewing 

The Lone City #2

Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude. But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm. But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?

Release Date: October 6th, 2015

My Thoughts: I’ve already read this book and its incredible and such a great follow up to the amazing book that is The Jewel. I’m lucky that I was able to read this already and I’m glad that its coming out soon!

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Natasha Romanoff is one of the world’s most lethal assassins. Trained from a young age in the arts of death and deception, Natasha was given the title of Black Widow by Ivan Somodorov, her brutal teacher at the Red Room, Moscow’s infamous academy for operatives.

Ava Orlova is just trying to fit in as an average Brooklyn teenager, but her life has been anything but average.The daughter of a missing Russian quantum physicist, Ava was once subjected to a series of ruthless military experiments-until she was rescued by Black Widow and placed under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection. Ava has always longed to reconnect with her mysterious savior, but Black Widow isn’t really the big sister type. Until now. When children all over Eastern Europe begin to go missing, and rumors of smuggled Red Room tech light up the dark net, Natasha suspects her old teacher has returned-and that Ava Orlova might be the only one who can stop him. To defeat the madman who threatens their future, Natasha and Ava must unravel their pasts. Only then will they discover the truth about the dark-eyed boy with an hourglass tattoo who haunts Ava’s dreams. . . .

Release Date: October 13, 2015

My Thoughts: I mean, come on. Black Widow AND the amazing Margie Stohl…I was sold from the moment that I first found out this was going to be an actual thing. There needs to be more of Black Widow in the world – and all the female Marvel and DC characters – and I’m glad this book is coming out and I’m stoked about Margaret being at the helm.

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell. Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves? Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

Release Date: October 13, 2015

My Thoughts: I literally can’t handle the excitement that is this book. When I read that first book…I couldn’t handle how excited I was when I finished this book. Its just so insanely good. Sara is an incredible writer and storyteller and I think there should be more fantasy like this in the world. I can’t wait to see how this story continues.

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

The Young Elites #2

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers that murdered her love, the Crown Prince Enzo Valenciano.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

Release Date: October 13, 2015

My Thoughts: I’ve literally had this in my possession since July and I haven’t read it, no matter how excited I’ve been about it. I hope to read it before its released because my goodness, the first one was just incredible and I can only imagine that it gets better and better.

Trust Me, I’m Trouble by Mary Elizabeth Summer

Trust Me #2

Staying out of trouble isn’t possible for Julep Dupree. She has managed not to get kicked out of her private school, even though everyone knows she’s responsible for taking down a human-trafficking mob boss—and getting St. Agatha’s golden-boy Tyler killed in the process. Running cons holds her guilty conscience at bay, but unfortunately, someone wants Julep to pay for her mistakes . . . with her life.

Against her better judgment, Julep takes a shady case that requires her to infiltrate a secretive organization that her long-gone mother and the enigmatic blue fairy may be connected to. Her best friend, Sam, isn’t around to stop her, and Dani, her one true confidante, happens to be a nineteen-year-old mob enforcer whose moral compass is as questionable as Julep’s. But there’s not much time to worry about right and wrong—or to save your falling heart—when there’s a contract on your head.

Release Date: October 13, 2015

My Thoughts: Mary Elizabeth is awesome and her first book is so fun. I love it because the main character is just not what you expect, and she’s not exactly a hero and that’s what makes it so fun because you love her the entire book. I can’t wait to see what shenanigans she gets up to in this second book.

Poet Anderson…of Nightmares by Tom Delonge and Suzanne Young 

Poet Anderson #1

Jonas Anderson and his older brother Alan are Lucid Dreamers. But after a car accident lands Alan in a coma, Jonas sets out into the Dream World in an attempt to find his brother and wake him up. What he discovers instead is an entire shared consciousness where fear comes to life as a snarling beast called a Night Terror, and a creature named REM is bent on destruction and misery, devouring the souls of the strongest dreamers. With the help of a Dream Walker—a guardian of the dreamscape, Jonas must face his fears, save his brother, and become who he was always meant to be: Poet Anderson.

Release Date: October 20th, 2015

My Thoughts: One of the coolest YA authors writes a book with Tom Delonge from Blink 182? Do I honestly need to say much more than that?

New Adult

The Fifteenth Minute by Sarina Bowen

The Ivy Years #5

Freshman Lianne Challice is known to millions of fans as Princess Vindi. But sometimes a silver screen sorceress just wants to hang up her wand, tell her manager to shove it, and become a normal college student. Too bad that’s harder than it looks.

She’s never lived a normal life. She hasn’t been to school since kindergarten. And getting close to anyone is just too risky — the last boy she kissed sold the story to a British tabloid.

But she can’t resist trying to get close to Daniel “DJ” Trevi, the hot, broody guy who spins tunes for hockey games in the arena. There’s something haunting his dark eyes and she needs to know more.

DJ’s genius is for expressing the mood of the crowd with a ten second song snippet. With just a click and a fade, he can spread hope, pathos or elation among six thousand screaming fans.

Too bad his college career is about to experience the same quick fade-out as one of his songs. He can’t get close to Lianne, and he can’t tell her why. And the fact that she seems to like him at all? Incredible.

Release Date: October 13, 2015

My Thoughts: I read this a few days ago. Amazing. Just keep writing Sarina. I’m just in love.

Middle Grade

Magnus Chase: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase #1

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

Release Date: October 6, 2015

My Thoughts: I just got this in the mail and I’m really so very excited to read this. I am wary, of course, I love Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus as well, but I never was sold on the Egyptian series so I’m hoping Magnus Chase captures me in the same way Percy did once upon a time. I have high high high hopes for it!

General 

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Cormoran Strike #3

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them…

Career of Evil is the third in the highly acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, it is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

Release Date: October 20, 2015

My Thoughts: The first two novels have just been absolutely amazing. JKR has a way with mystery and crime. She has a way of making her voice shine but also creating a whole new voice with these incredible novels. And I love that she still writes as Robert. It makes me happy as hell. I can’t wait for this!

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What books are YOU excited for in the month of October? Share them in the comments!

September Book Wrap Up!

Books Pledged to Read in 2015:

150

Am I On Track: 

9 books behind schedule. I went slump-y again

Books Read So Far: 

103

Total Books For September: 

6

Moving Target

Flamecaster (ARC)

Stand Off

Fangirl – ReRead

Dumplin’ 

The Fifteenth Minute

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Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Genre: 

Young Adult, viagra 40mg  Fantasy

Pages: 

383 pages

Part of a Series?:

The first of the series

Release Date: 

February 10th, click 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads

Barnes and Noble

Book Depository

iBooks

Author Website

GoodReads Summary: 

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, viagra order ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart…

My Review:

I had been hearing a lot of good, no, great things about this book for SO long. I knew that it was going to be a good book but for some reason I just kept putting it off. I owned a copy, even met Victoria back in April at YALLWest, and all that, but I just couldn’t make myself sit down and do it. For some reason, I finally sat down and did it and I can’t believe that I have waited this long to read it. Seriously. Because this was basically my face after I finished the book.

First off, Victoria is just a fantastic writer. She has you on Mare’s side right away. She immediately has you hooked into the story. Her world is incredibly beauty and I am so envious of her world building skills. Its flawless, and each page just overflows with intense imagery and believable realism. I’m just blown away by the story itself. The Reds and the Silvers, their story isn’t new, the oppressors and the oppressors…but Victoria has a way of making this story her own, making it unique and stand out. And I think a lot of that comes from the characters. You’re never really sure what side you want to be on, who to trust, who to like. Everyone has secrets, dark ones, and everyone is lying all the time, and its hard to pinpoint each character. You sort of keep reading because you want to get a handle on them but they keep surprising you.

Speaking of surprises, my goodness, Victoria has them at every turn. Every single time you think you have a handle on the story, or you even try to guess what could be around the next corner, she blows something up in your face and literally leaves you going, what on earth just happened…There is a huge climax toward the end of the book, that I obviously want to keep spoiler free, but she just completely yanks the rug out from underneath your feet. I honestly did NOT see that coming at all. And it totally broke my heart. How dare you, Victoria!

So with all that revelation, and the things that happen at the end, and all the action and quick events that lead unto the cliffhanger ending…I’m glad its only a mere handful of months until the release of the next novel because that book ruined my soul.

In all the good ways of course.

                                                                                                                  Rating: 

5 out of 5 Stars