M9B FRIDAY REVEAL: Serpentine by Cindy Pon - Cover Reveal + GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we are revealing the cover for

Serpentine by Cindy Pon

presented byMonth9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

SERPENTINE is a sweeping fantasy set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology.

Lush with details from Chinese folklore, SERPENTINE tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns sixteen, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell.

When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self – even as she falls in love for the first time.

“Vivid worldbuilding, incendiary romance, heart-pounding action, and characters that will win you over--I highly recommend Serpentine.” Cinda Williams Chima, best-selling author of the Seven Realms and Heir Chronicles fantasy novels 

"Serpentine is unique and surprising, with a beautifully-drawn fantasy world that sucked me right in! I love Skybright's transformative power, and how she learns to take charge of it." ~Kristin Cashore, NYT Bestseller of the Graceling Realm Series 

"Serpentine's world oozes with lush details and rich lore, and the characters crackle with life. This is one story that you'll want to lose yourself in." ~ Marie Lu, New York Times bestselling author of Legend and The Young Elites

Title: Serpentine
Publication date: September 8, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Cindy Pon

Pre-order Links:

Amazon | B&N

Cindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow, 2009), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association's Booklist, and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. The sequel to Silver Phoenix, titled Fury of the Phoenix, was released in April 2011. Serpentine, the first title in her next Xia duology, will be published by Month9Books in September 2015. She is the co-founder of Diversity in YA with Malinda Lo and on the advisory board of We Need Diverse Books. Cindy is also a Chinese brush painting student of over a decade. Visit her website at www.cindypon.com.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads

Complete the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

The book will be sent upon its release.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In The Beginning There Was Us (The Other World Collection #2) - Ashley's Review

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia | Smashwords

Title: In The Beginning There Was Us (Other World Collection #2)
Author: Ingrid Jonach
Publication Date: April 28, 2015

My When the World Was Flat (And We Were in Love) Review

Synopsis: What would you do if you were God? If you had the power to not only give life, but take it away in the blink of an eye? These are the questions that plague fifteen-year-old Abbey Baxter after she resurrects a boy, long lost to the ages.

The achingly beautiful and eternally melancholy Cole not only serves as a welcome distraction from her long-time crush, Elwin, but also eases the heartache that persists since the sudden passing of her younger brother, Junior, four years earlier.

As the intrigue of her relationship with Cole deepens, so too does the mystery that surrounds a growing phenomenon sweeping through her small West Virginian town, transforming the lives of its residents. Around her, two bedroom cottages are transforming into mansions without explanation and residents are waking up to bank balances that have tripled overnight, all under the watchful gaze of the sinister American Laboratory for Particle Physics, located on the outskirts of town.

As Abbey searches for answers in a bid to solve the mystery in partnership with Elwin, she’s forced into a realization that that some things are better left buried, including her newfound love, Cole.

This cautionary tale of heartache and obsession explores the endless possibilities of the universe and its devastating impact on two young lovers from different worlds.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review: When the World Was Flat (and we were in love) was an incredible book, and when I finished it, I figured that would be it. Everything wrapped up nicely and it was very self-contained, and I was ok with that. But then! I learned that Ingrid was writing a whole collection of books set in the same world, and In The Beginning There Was Us would be the second book. So, of course, I knew I had to read this book ASAP! And I am so, so glad that I did.

In The Beginning There Was Us is completely different from When the World Was Flat - the situations are completely different, the sci-fi aspect is new and unique, and even the romance has a different tone about it. I even felt like this book was darker than its predecessor, and that there was much more going on here that could have huge consequences to the world outside. I did enjoy though that there are similarities between them, including characters, that connected them across this huge universe. 

I really enjoyed how the science aspect was worked into this book. Most people today have at least heard of CERN and their Large Hadron Collider, as well as the existence and hunt for the "God particle," but Ingrid puts her own spin on these real-life things and theories and turns them into something completely unique. In this alternate history, things went wrong with the particle accelerator in Europe, and most of the continent had to be quarantined. Now, Abbey's dad is working on a particle accelerator in the US and might be doing things that are illegal on an international scale. There's not much explanation of the science and the theories until near the end of the book, but I really enjoyed how they were presented and explained. Even though I'm not a physicist, I was able to follow all of it and it at least made sense. 

Aside from the science, Ingrid has this incredible way with words that just makes the characters come to life and the world seem to leap from the pages. I could see all of Abbey's paintings perfectly in my mind, and I could imagine exactly what Cole looks like just from the descriptions of him. I could also feel everything that Abbey was feeling - her excitement, her fear, her apprehension, her sadness, and her loneliness. I often found myself forgetting that Abbey is only fifteen, since she's been through so much in her lifetime that she definitely seemed and acted older. 

At first, I thought that her relationship with Cole would be good for her. He really treats her well and brings her out of her shell. But then things take a turn for the worse, and Abbey can't control him anymore. Or maybe she controls him too much, which makes him resent her. The way their relationship develops and changes over the course of the book was so interesting to follow, and I found myself on the edge of my seat, frantically turning pages just to find out what was going to happen next. Cole is so unpredictable that I also was afraid for Abbey. And the whole time, I was totally rooting for her and Elwin to get together, even though he's several years older and her best friend's brother. But Elwin is incredible! 

I really just loved everything about this book. Even though the ending almost made me scream out loud, because how can you leave things that way?! I kept trying to turn pages, hoping more would appear and set my mind (and heart) at ease, but Ingrid just couldn't let me have that little bit of peace! 

This book is every bit as gorgeous as When the World Was Flat, and if you're looking for a YA sci-fi romance, you should really start reading these books ASAP. You could even start with In The Beginning There Was Us, since you don't need to know anything about the other book to fall into this world, but it's fun to see the things the books have in common. Even if you aren't big on the sci-fi aspect, this book tells the story of an incredible romance with its ups and downs and has complex characters that will stick with you well past the end (talk about a book hangover!). 5/5, for sure.

--Ashley

COVER REVEAL: Tarnished (Perfected #2) by Kate Jarvik Birch

Tarnished (Perfected #2)

by Kate Jarvik Birch

Release Date: 2015

Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Freedom comes at a cost...

Ella was genetically engineered to be the perfect pet—graceful,
demure...and kept. In a daring move, she escaped her captivity and took
refuge in Canada. But while she can think and act as she pleases, the life of a
liberated pet is just as confining as the Congressman’s gilded cage. Her escape
started a revolution, but she’s trapped, unable to get back to Penn—the boy she
loves—or help the girls who need her.

Back in the United States, pets are turning up dead. With help from
a very unexpected source, Ella slips deep into the dangerous black
market, posing as a tarnished pet available to buy or sell. If she's lucky,
she'll be able to rescue Penn and expose the truth about the breeding program.
If she fails, Ella will pay not only with her life, but the lives of everyone
she's tried to save...

Book One:

(cover linked to Goodreads)

Praise for Perfected:

“Compelling, imaginative, and unique. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!”

— Mary Lindsey, author of Shattered Souls


Buy Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann’s Review. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. To learn more visit www.katejarvikbirch.com

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

M9B/Tantrum Books TWO FOR THURSDAY BLITZ: Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel & Predator by Janice Gable Bashman + GIVEAWAY!

Hello and welcome to this week’s Two for Thursday Book Blitz #T4T
presented by Month9books/Tantrum Books!

Today, we will be showcasing two titles that may tickle your fancy,
and we’ll share what readers have to say about these titles!

.

You just might find your next read!

This week, #T4T presents to you:

Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel and
Predator by Janice Gable Bashman!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Witches must choose the path they will follow, and Darlena Agara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.
Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be.
But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos.
DAUGHTER OF CHAOS is the first in a YA paranormal trilogy.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

WHAT READER’S ARE SAYING:
“At the beginning, this novel is reminiscent of other popular fantasy novels like the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling and the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, but it quickly takes on a life of its own that will appeal to science fiction, fantasy, and young adult fans alike. Darlena’s struggles mirror issues that many teens face, making her a relate-able and likable main character. This is a title with wide appeal that will fly off the shelves.” – Voya Magazine


“Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel is a refreshing twist to the YA paranormal genre!” – Dianne, Tome Tender


“Witches and Greek gods! This seriously couldn't get any better.” – Kelly Hashway, Author

Jen McConnel now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The hunt is on! Sixteen-year-old Bree Sunderland must inject herself with an untested version of her father’s gene therapy to become a werewolf in order to stop a corrupt group of mercenaries from creating a team of unstoppable lycanthrope soldiers.

When Bree went with her scientist father to Ireland, she thought it would be a vacation to study bog bodies. She never expected to fall in love with a mysterious young Irishman and certainly never expected to become the kind of monster her father said only existed in nightmares. Dr. Sunderland discovers that lycanthropy was not a supernatural curse but rather a genetic mutation. When they return home, her dad continues his research, but the military wants to turn that research into a bio weapons program and rogue soldiers want to steal the research to turn themselves into unstoppable killing machines.

Bree’s boyfriend Liam surprises her with a visit to the United States, but there are darker surprises in store for both of them. As evil forces hunt those she loves, Bree must become an even more dangerous hunter to save them all.

Bree will become the thing she hates, to protect those she loves!

'Predator' gives the werewolf legend a couple of new spins by introducing the Benandanti (an actual folkloric belief that certain families of Italy and Livonia were werewolves who fought against evil), as well as a modern scientific approach to mutation and the science of transgenics.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

WHAT READER’S ARE SAYING:

“Predator is a fast-paced, creepy page-turner! Bashman had me at the opening sentence and she's still got me. I want more!” – Nancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling Author, The Rules


“Every twist and fascinating revelation fell into place smoothly, with an ending that will leave readers wanting more. With this kind of originality on the page, it is exciting to speculate at the surprises Bashman will unveil next.” – Suspense Magazine

“Predator" by Janice Gable Bashman is clean-teen fiction at it's best. It's smart, scary and suspenseful. The main character Bree is a super positive role model for teen girls--no mater what shape she takes” – Jennifer, Author

Janice Gable Bashman is the Bram Stoker nominated author of Wanted Undead or Alive and Predator. She is managing editor of the The Big Thrill (International Thriller Writers’ ezine). Janice lives with her family in the Philadelphia area, where she at work on her next novel. Visit her at janicegablebashman.com.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) by Danielle L. Jensen - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot in exchange for an honest review*

Title: Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2)
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Publication Dates: June 2nd 2015 (US/CAN); 4th June 2015 (UK)

My Stolen Songbird Review
My The Songbird's Overture Review

Synopsis: Sometimes, one must accomplish the impossible.

Beneath the mountain, the king’s reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cécile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king’s power. Or his manipulation.

Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.

To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cécile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted…

UK Print & Ebook

Amazon.co.uk | Book Depository | Waterstones | WHSmith

North American Print & Ebook

Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | BarnesandNoble.com | IndieBound.org

Global DRM-Free Epub & Mobi Ebook

On-sale 2nd June 2015 from the Robot Trading Company

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review: I absolutely LOVED Stolen Songbird when I read it last year, and then I almost had a mini-heart attack when Strange Chemistry shut its doors because I needed to read Hidden Huntress. Stolen Songbird was probably my favorite fantasy book of 2014, so I was so excited to learn that Angry Robot had picked up (or kept, I guess) the rest of Danielle's Malediction Trilogy. As much as I loved Stolen Songbird, though, Hidden Huntress blew it completely out of the water. This book destroyed me, and I cannot wait for the final book in this series! 

I loved how this book is pretty much equally told from Cécile's and Tristan's perspectives. We still see more of Cécile, but I was really glad that we also got to see what was happening in Trollus and with Tristan while Cécile is trying to find Anushka on the surface. Not that Tristan's parts are easy to read - I love Tristan and I hated how badly he's treated and tortured and shunned by all of his old friends. Well, almost all of them anyway. I was glad that Marc was back too, but I felt SO bad for him after Tristan makes a certain promise. This book has so many feels all the way through it, and I just really wanted to jump in and give everyone a giant group hug. 

Cécile doesn't have things easy either - she can still feel everything that Tristan feels, she's made a promise to the king that likely to drive her literally insane, and her mother is pretty much crazy. Cécile sings every night, but it's never good enough for her mother. She only has two friends, and they try to be supportive even if they don't understand why she feels she has to free the trolls. Or why she even cares about the trolls. Cécile has to deal with so much, pretty much all by herself, and I felt like any moment was going to be the one where she just broke down. But she's stronger than that, and manages to keep it all together for as long as she needs to. She might be one of my favorite heroines, and I love that she's always questioning things and trying to do what's right even if other people don't agree with her.

Most of the plot is concerned with Tristan trying o figure out what's been going on in Trollus since he's been locked up and with Cécile finding Anushka, but there's enough there that it never felt like anything was dragging. I really enjoyed reading about Cécile's life in the opera house - it's glamorous and exciting and everything she wanted as a child. But there are secrets, and it was so interesting to watch them unravel. I thought I knew what some of the twists and secrets might be, and although I was right on a couple of them, Danielle kept me guessing and kept throwing another wrench into the mix that kept me on my toes the whole time. 

There's not as much world-building in this book as there was in Stolen Songbird, but there was still more information about the world and the magic and the history of this world, and it was really nice to learn more about what's been going on in the past several centuries since it helped connect the dots to what's going on in the present.

If you enjoy reading YA fantasy, you absolutely want to read this series! Danielle's writing is gorgeous and captivating, and her world is incredible. All of the characters are so well developed and complex, and I feel like I've known them my whole life. Even the villains are more complex than I imagined them to be, and I even felt bad for them.  If you read Stolen Songbird, you definitely want to read Hidden Huntress. I'm still trying to recover from all of the feels, and I really cannot wait to get my hands on the third book! 5/5! 


--Ashley

Asha's Magic (The Ever After Series #3) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Goodreads

Title: Asha's Magic (Ever After Series #3)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date: May 20, 2015

My Asha's Kisses (#1) Review
My Asha's Curse (#2) Review

Synopsis: From the BLOOD AND SNOW world comes a brand new series: The EVER AFTER series. 

Asha's Magic is the third volume in this reimagined story of Sleeping Beauty. 

This story will be told over multiple volumes. 

Seventeen-year-old Asha lives in Missoula Montana with her three flitty aunties who aren't really her aunties at all. They're fairy guardians from Syantha and have been tasked with keeping Asha safe. See, Asha is a fairy too. And not just any fairy, but the fairy. Daughter to the king and queen. In this volume Asha learns about the realm she comes from and gets her first taste of what it means to be hunted by those who want her dead. 

The BLOOD AND SNOW World Order 

Blood and Snow 

Revenant in Training 

The Vampire Christopher 

Blood Soaked Promises 

Prey and Magic 

Masquerade’s Moon 

Seal of Gabriel 

Telltale Kisses 

Love Bleeds 

Eye of Abernathy 

Resolved to Rule 

Vampire Ever After 

Cindy Witch 

The Hunter’s Tale 

Gabriel 

After the Kiss 

The Cindy Chronicles 

Vampire Lies 

Vampire Secrets 

A Beauty So Beastly 

Asha's Kisses (2015) 

Asha's Curse (2015) 

Vampire Nights (2015) 

The Professor's Origin (2015) 

A Beauty So Deadly (2016) 

The Gargoyle Realm (2015) 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review: RaShelle Workman has done it again! Asha's Magic is another exciting adventure in the Blood and Snow world, and I loved getting to know more about Asha, her curse, her magic, and her world. This volume answered several of the lingering questions I had from the first two volumes, but still brought up more that I hope are answered soon! 

In the other two volumes, we learned that Asha is a fairy princess who has been cursed by her aunt to die on her eighteenth birthday. None of this would have happened if Asha hadn't had her first kiss, and now her magic (which isn't gone, only bound inside of her) can only be awakened by true love's kiss (because what kind of fairy tale would it be without true love's kiss!). Enter Paxton, who may or may not be evil and working for Mirzabel, and who is either her one true love or her evil true love. 

I'm not entirely sure why Asha trusts Paxton, even after learning that he's working for Mirzabel I mean I know she's tired of having her magic bound inside of her - even though she JUST learned she even had magic, but whatever - and thinks that having magic in any form will help her defeat Mirzabel, but I really wish she wasn't so impulsive. She's probably going to get herself killed. And she also kind of treats Lawson like crap, so I'm not surprised that he treats her the same way. She totally deserved that one, although I was surprised he would be so vindictive and jump right back in to his old life. That he didn't even really like.

I enjoyed meeting Mirzabel though, and I thought it was kind of hilarious how nonchalantly she's taking the whole situation. She's basically just waiting around for Asha to die, and doesn't even bother trying to hurry the process along. If Asha will be dead soon anyway, who cares if she dies a few months early? I can't wait to see more of her and find out what her intentions are and why she hates Asha's family so much and has never gotten over the betrayal. 

I'm excited to see what happens next now that Asha's magic has been awakened, and to see what Paxton will do next. Is Asha's magic evil now? Is Paxton truly evil? What is Mirzabel's next move? Where did the Aunties go and why couldn't Asha just wait a couple of hours for them to come back? I have so many questions! If you're looking for an exciting new take on Sleeping Beauty, you will want to read this series. They're all fairly short, so they're quick reading! I'd give this one a 4/5!

--Ashley

Asha's Curse (The Ever After Series #2) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon |  Goodreads

Title: Asha's Curse (Ever After Series #2)

Author: RaShelle Workman

Publication Date: March 28, 2015

My Review of Asha's Kisses

Synopsis: From the BLOOD AND SNOW world comes a brand new series: The EVER AFTER series. 

Asha's Curse is the second volume in this reimagined story of Sleeping Beauty. 

This story will be told over multiple volumes. 

Seventeen-year-old Asha has received her first kiss and that means her life is about to change. With the support of her three flitty aunties, her two best friends, and a gorgeous boy, Asha will uncover a world filled with fantastical creatures she never knew existed. 

The BLOOD AND SNOW World Order 

Blood and Snow 

Revenant in Training 

The Vampire Christopher 

Blood Soaked Promises 

Prey and Magic 

Masquerade’s Moon 

Seal of Gabriel 

Telltale Kisses 

Love Bleeds 

Eye of Abernathy 

Resolved to Rule 

Vampire Ever After 

Cindy Witch 

The Hunter’s Tale 

Gabriel 

After the Kiss 

The Cindy Chronicles 

Vampire Lies 

Vampire Secrets 

A Beauty So Beastly 

Asha's Kisses (2015) 

Asha's Curse (2015) 

Vampire Nights (2015) 

A Beauty So Deadly (2015) 

The Gargoyle Realm (2015)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review: RaShelle's Blood and Snow world is a lot of fun, and I love that she keeps expanding it with more classic fairy tale characters. I really enjoyed the first volume in this series, Asha's Kisses, so I jumped on the chance to read Asha's Curse! 

Where Asha's Kisses was just enough to introduce Asha, her friends, and her situation, Asha's Curse picks up shortly after Asha and Lawson start dating. We get to learn more about Asha and her curse, and I really enjoyed seeing how RaShelle incorporated the classic elements of the Sleeping Beauty story into her world. The basics are there - Asha has been cursed to die by a fairy who is pissed at her parents. Instead of being pricked by a spinning wheel though, Asha will die by being stabbed through the heart. So things are a little more intense here. 

There's also a little bit more development in the area of the relationships in this volume. Merida and Tiana end up with boyfriends, and Asha and Lawson are getting along pretty well. There's a lot I like about Lawson, but I'm still not entirely convinced about their relationship. I mean, as long as they're hapy it's all good, but with all of this curse stuff going on, I'm a little wary that Asha hasn't trusted him with any of this information though. I can understand that he might not believe her, but still.

And then we have Paxton. He just appears out of nowhere, and he seems pretty sketchy to me. I've learned in the Blood and Snow world never to trust anyone who just appears and take their word at face value, so I'm really interested in finding out what his true intentions are! I hope we find out more about him in Asha's Curse.

If you've read Asha's Kisses, you definitely want to read this volume! If you're new to RaShelle's Blood and Snow world, you could jump right in with Asha's Kisses - the stories, although connected, still stand well enough on their own. Some characters and places cross back and forth, but the story itself is unique to this series. I'd give this one a 4/5, and I can't wait for the next volume! 

--Ashley