Waiting on Wednesday: Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #2)

by Cassandra Clare

December 6, 2011:  Margaret K. McElderry

"In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart."

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My feelings:

Winner of Thank You Giveaway

The winner of my Thank You Giveaway is...

Music Monday: Soft Shock (Acoustic) by Yeah Yeah Yeah

Acoustic version of Soft Shock by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Going to keep it simple:  Love this song. <3  Happy Monday, everyone! See you if you can still make it to my Thank You Giveaway (few hours left!) or enter the giveaway of Dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman, where you can win a copy of the book or an ipod nano!   if you post your own music monday, do share the link via comments below!  would love to check them out and share it to others.

Double Dose of Fallen: Rapture + Fallen in Love (w/ Sneak Peek)

Lauren Kate recently released the cover for the fourth book in her Fallen series, Rapture, and have revealed the cover as well of the special set in the series, Fallen in Love.  She also included a special treat for her readers (see bottom of post).

Rapture (Fallen #4)

by Lauren Kate

June 12, 2012:  Delacorte Books

The sky is dark with wings. . . .

In RAPTURE, the highly anticipated fourth and final novel in the FALLEN series, Luce and Daniel are together . . . but for how long? Can history be rewritten? Or are some punishments eternal?

Fallen in Love (Fallen #3.5)

by Lauren Kate

January 24, 2012:  Delacorte Books

Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.

True love never says goodbye . . .

Get a special sneak peek of Fallen in Love here!

Thankful Thursday on Thanksgiving Day!

It's a Thankful Thursday on a Thanksgiving Day!

I give thanks for:

• My family!  Unconditional love, and everything else in between, what would I not be thankful for?
• Another year!  It's been a rollercoaster ride but it's worth every ups and down. 
• Friends!  Online and offline friends that have graced my year.  
• Moving into a new place.  Yup!  Finally moving to a new place, improve work, and make it a home.
• Books!  They truly make every year more wonderful by just existing. 

Just a short and simple thankful list.  What are you thankful for?  

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  

Hope you'll enjoy the holiday with your loved ones. :)

Waiting on Wednesday: Eternal Starling by Angela Corbett

Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity #1)

by Angela Corbett

December 6, 2011:  Pendrell Publishing

A love so strong, even eternity can’t separate them.

Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men.

For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she’s not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn’t understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren’t the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.

First of all, the cover is beautiful.  It has a classic wash-out appeal to it.   And the title makes you curious too.  Definitely looking forward to this read.  I have read good raves about it as well!

Dancergirl Blog Tour: Music Monday w/ Ali's Playlist (+Giveaway)

I'm happy to be part of the blog tour for Carol M. Tanzman's Dancergirl.  Since Monday means Music Monday, Carol shares with us Ali's Playlist.  But first, who is Ali?

Ali, the main character of the YA thriller Dancergirl.  She is a 16 year-old modern dancer, and obviously, she loves music.  Here are her top ten favorite songs:

Ali’s Playlist 

1. My Mistakes- Eleanor Friedberger
2. Rolling in the Deep and Rumour Has It - Adele
3. Tightrope – Feat. Big Boi - Janelle Monae
4. Heavy in Your Arms- Florence and the Machine
5. Everlasting Light - The Black Keys
6. Rill Rill  - Sleigh Bells
7. All Things Go -  Chiddy Band
8. Block After Block - Matt & Kim
9. Dancing on My Own – Robyn
10. Trouble Won't Always Last- Glossary

You can listen to the playlist here in Spotify playlist!
But I also shared it here via 8tracks:

Carol and Harlequin are offering two give-aways for his tour!

1. The first give-away is copy of Dancergirl. Enter by leaving a comment on this Tour Stop (and then confirm that you left a comment via Rafflecopter)
2. The second give-away is an iPod nano, skinned in the Dancergirl artwork!

Simply:

•  enter via the Rafflecoper widget and get extra entries for tweeting
• (once per TourStop), following Carol on twitter,"Like" her on facebook,
• leaving your mailing address (for faster shipment of the prize) and for
• leaving a comment at each Tour Stops (one extra entry for each TourStop)
• *See full contest rules here.

 

Review: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Enclave (Razorland #1)

by Ann Aguirre

April 12, 2011:  Feiwel & Friends

“WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.”

Review

Deuce always wanted to become a Huntress in their community.  And when finally she achieved the status, she has been partnered with the mysterious Fade, whose reputation makes it hard for her to assimilate in the Hunters group.  But they're partnership has led them to learn something more sinister than what they already know about the Freaks, monsters that lurk within the sewers beyond their enclave.  Their bond was put to further test when they found themselves banished from the enclave, and forced to live on their own.

The cover says it's something for Hunger Games fans.  If you're into dystopian readings then this one is a must on your list.  This has a hard-hitting, gritty depiction of the future.  Where people are forced to live underground, with monsters of used-to-be-humans, but still retaining both human strengths and weaknesses that can prove to be redeeming or fatal.

Deuce is a trained warrior with a will of steel.  The enclave is all she has in her life:  her friends, her dreams, and her community.  Fade has an air of mystery and danger around him.  He is cold and fights to survive.  Together with Deuce, they will fight for their survival and more.

The story will tug your heartstrings into different places, and horrify you with the depiction of a possible future -  where there are no rules, where the strongest survives, and surviving to see the next day is always a hanging question in your head.  Deuce and Fade will journey from the underworld to the topside, and they only have each other to trust, hopefully until the end.

Cover Reveal: Sequels, In Series (10 Covers)

Prepare for a bit of visual onslaught.  

Ten of the recent cover reveals of book sequels in a series.

Until I Die (Revenants #2) 

by Amy Plum

May 8, 2012:  HarperCollins Publishers

This is another gorgeous cover for the Revenants series.  From a striking red to a more subdued bluish-purple.

Die For Me (Revenants #1)

 

Timepiece (Hourglass #2)

by Myra McEntire
June 12, 2012:  EgmontUSA

I love the Alice-in-Wonderland feel of this cover.  The girl in the cover reminds me of the scene where Alice was trapped in a room. :)  The cover of the first book was as gorgeous as well, with an optical-illusion vibe to it.

Hourglass (Hourglass #1)

Waiting on Wednesday: Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

Wander Dust (The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy #1)

by Michelle Warren

November 19, 2011

Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish.

The Lady in Black… burns Sera’s memories. 

Unexplainable Premonitions… catapult her to other cities. The Grungy Gang… wants to kill her.
 

And a beautiful, mysterious boy… stalks her.
 

But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she is immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.
 

Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love.

Oooh...the synopsis gives away nothing but leaves me curious about the story.  And what's with Seraphina Parrish?  Just a few more days for the release of Wander Dust! :)

Movie Trailer of Mirror, Mirror (Another take on Snow White)

Snow White and the 7 Dwarves in Mirror, Mirror

We've just seen the first trailer for The Snow White and The Huntsman, which stars Kristen Stewart (Snow White), Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman), and Charlize Theron (Evil Queen).  Now, here is the first trailer for another take on the story of Snow White, Mirror, Mirror; which casts Lily Collins (Snow White), and Julia Roberts (Evil Queen).



Now this looks a little more playful and with a hint of Bollywood.  This might appeal more to younger audience, not to mention some comedic appeal!  Julia Roberts appears to be a sarcastic, narcissistic Queen.  That would be nice to watch.  And Lily is beautiful as Snow White.  I wish her well in this pre-TMI movie.  I hope she also gets to put more spunk in Snow White's character.

Directed by Tarsem Singh, this movie is slated for release for March next year.  (imdb)

I think there's no need to compare the two Snow White movie, since it's apparent that they have different take on the story.  It will be the audience's decision which one appeals to their taste.

What do you think of the movie trailer?

[Re]Covered: The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Books getting some new covers and makeovers.

In-line with the release of the first full-length trailer, here is the recently released new UK covers for The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins:

Previous covers:

The Hunger Games   |   Catching Fire   |   Mockingjay

Sleek and simple designs of the books.  I'm loving the classic-feel of the covers.  And they will definitely appeal to older readers (if they judge the book by its cover).  The books with the new covers will be available by December 1.

(source)