Waiting On Wednesday: RUSH

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blogging event hosted by Breaking the Spine, in which one spotlights an upcoming release they are eagerly anticipating. This week my pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Title: Rush

Author: Eve Silver

Release Date: June 11, 2013

Summary (from Goodreads):

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Why I'm Looking Forward To It: A bunch of untrained teens thrown together in a "game" to eliminate aliens? Heck yes! Trained is boring - untrained is survival at its finest! And c'mon, "beautiful aliens"? We really don't see those two words used together nearly enough. This book also has a similar vibe to my current WIP, and I can use all the encouragement I can get in that department to keep my interest up now that I've passed the halfway point.

BONUS: You can enter to win an ARC of Rush on author Eve Silver's blog here!

So what book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Review: Under the Never Sky (Veronica Rossi)

Title: Under the Never Sky

Series: Under the Never Sky, Book 1

Author: Veronica Rossi

Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: January 3, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Content Rating: Older Teen (sensuality, some sexuality, violence, minor gore, feminine issues)
Format Read: Hardcover (library)
Told: Third Person (Aria & Perry), Past Tense

Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Summary: 

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland--known as The Death Shop--are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild--a savage--and her only hope of staying alive. 

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile--everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

*          *          *

Writing: Once I got into the story (about 1/4th in) it was a relatively easy read.

Setting: An interesting and possible future for Earth, where some live in virtual pods and mutated others out in the savage wilderness. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to explore the pods more - I hope Veronica gives us a tour of Reverie in a later book.

Story: Began rough and hard to get into, but got better as the MCs got used to each other. By the middle I was engrossed, and although it wasn't perfect it was entertaining. The romance felt rather forced, but I enjoyed it none the less. The end was both complete and continual.

Characters: Aria was strong and capable, and quite the trooper - I got her right from the start. Perry was a bit all over the place at the beginning and hard to pin down, but eventually he came together. Mostly. Roar was a nice addition to their travels and story, Marron an interesting uncle figure (although I think he would have been better as a possible badish guy), and Cinder a curious window into the future story.

Eww Factor: There is "menstruating" in this book. And if that isn't bad enough, a macho boy has to explain what it is to a girl. I was just as horribly embarrassed as she was.

Conclusion: While it began awkward, I was glad I stuck with it, and now look forward to Book 2.

This book is for you if you like: Dystopian epic travel adventures and/or coming-of-age kind of stories.

Scribble Rating: 

3 of 5 Scribbles

(Previously published on my former review blog, The Black Kitten Reviews.)

Posting Schedule

I now have a posting schedule! While I might not end up posting every Monday/ Wednesday/Friday, I will post at least once or twice a week. My schedule:

Monday
Book Reviews

Wednesday
Waiting On Wednesday
Where in the World Wednesday

Friday
Currently...
Last Month I Discovered...
Miscellaneous

See you around! :)

Bibliopunkk ARC Giveaway!

Bibliopunkk is doing a February giveaway on her blog! She is giving away 8 (count them, EIGHT) ARCs, including Transparent by Natalie Whipple, Red by Allison Cherry, Night School by CJ Daugherty, and Parallel by Lauren Miller! Check'm out:

Enter to win this stack of lovelies on her blog here by guessing the number she has chosen between 1 and 10,000. And the more you spread the word, the more guesses you get!

(She has TRANSPARENT, people! How could I NOT blog about this? ;)

Good luck!

Waiting on Wednesday: Aprilynne Pike

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blogging event hosted by Breaking the Spine, in which one spotlights an upcoming release they are eagerly anticipating.

This week I spotlight TWO books coming out this year by the same author, Aprilynne Pike! She's a local gal, and I've had the pleasure of speaking with her on several occasions. I heard about both of these books long before they were announced, so needless to say I've been looking forward to them with great anticipation for a very long time! Check them out:

Title: Life After Theft

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Release Date: April 30, 2013

Summary (from Goodreads):

Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto. 

No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so--in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history--he agrees to help her complete her "unfinished business." But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff's new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he's made the right choice.

Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Why I'm Looking Forward to It: She had me at "klepto ghost." :}

~       ~       ~       ~

Title: Earthbound

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Release Date: July 30, 2013

Summary (from Goodreads):

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told. Tavia will soon to discover that she’s an Earthbound—someone with the ability to create matter out of nothing—and that she alone holds the key to stopping the Reduciata, an evil society that manipulates global events for its own shadowy purposes. Tavia will ultimately have to make a choice: to come into her powers and save the world from the evil Reduciata or to choose free will and a love of her own.

A heart-stopping romance built on a love triangle like you’ve never seen before and filled with epic stakes and a centuries-long conspiracy.

Why I'm Looking Forward to It: Girl who can create something out of nothing fights against an evil society to save the world all while trying to decide between two hot guys? Yes, please!

Don't both these books sounds awesome?! And right now you can enter to win them and her anthology, Defy the Dark, along with a boatload of candy on her website! You can find the contest here - good luck! :)

So what book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Interview with Author Gail Carriger

As promised at the end of my gushing review of Etiquette & Espionage last week (which you can find here), the amazing and talented Gail Carriger has graced me with an interview! Read on to discover how she compares writing young adult to adult, her favorite (and least favorite) character to write, her Love List Top 3, and a sneak peek at Finishing School Book the Second, Curtsies & Conspiracies! 

Ms. Carriger's Obligatory Bio

New York Times Bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She survived her early years by reading most of her local library and memorizing Greek battles. Eventually, she escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. In pursuit of further finishing, Ms. Carriger traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.

Ms. Carriger's Books

Ms. Carriger made her debut with the 5-book adult paranormal steampunk Parasol Protectorate series (Orbit), an alternate history that incorporates vampires, werewolves, and ghosts into Victorian England (a series I highly recommend, by the way). Her latest release, Etiquette & Espionage, the first book in the Finishing School series (due out February 5, 2013 from Little, Brown) is her first jaunt into young adult, and I for one am very glad she made the trip! It is set in the same world, although about 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate series. To my elation she is also working on another adult series, The Parasol Protectorate Abroad (the first book's release date TBD), also set in the same world but several decades after the first series. The Parasol Protectorate series has also been turned into a Manga series (and a rather steamy one at that) from Yen Press.

You can find Ms. Carriger online at any of these lovely locations:

Website   Blogger   LiveJournal   Twitter   Goodreads

As this interview is mainly about the Finishing School series, I offer you the summary for Book the First, Etiquette & Espionage:

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence, more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea -- and God forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady, Mrs. Temminnick enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right -- but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

Again, you can find my raving review of this book here, 
and links to purchase Etiquette & Espionage are at the bottom of this post!

And now...
THE INTERVIEW!

1. What differences did you find in writing young adult as compared to adult?

I worked to create a more youthful and accessible voice, and characters who would grow and change with the books. Sophronia has a different world view than Alexia [Main Character of The Parasol Protectorate series]. She's private and introverted and must become more self actualized along the way by making new friends and discoveries. Her focus is on her immediate environment, less political, more personal.
 
2. You are currently writing books in both the young adult Finishing School series and adult The Parasol Protectorate Abroad series. On average, which have you found you prefer writing, young adult or adult, and why?

They both have advantages and disadvantages. I like the almost breezy sensation writing YA, and it suits my style as I tend to comfortably finish a story at right about 75k ~ which is YA length. Although I'm finding my YA stuff requires more edit passes than my adult stuff, so it's more back end work. Also, it's harder for me to get into that voice, I'm rather old for it. Alexia and Prudence [Main Character of The Parasol Protectorate Abroad series] are more me as I am now, which is easy to draw on. Sophronia is more me as I was in high school, which is sometimes hard to recall accurately. 
 
3. Is there anything that you get to do or explore in the young adult series that you can't in your adult series?

Everything about being a teenager is fair game, from first love to a girls first close friendships to the silliness of giddy youth to the hijinks of an individual who believes she is indestructible. 
 
4. Who was your favorite character to write in Etiquette & Espionage, and why? Who was your least favorite?

Bumbersnoot is a joy to write, as is Dimity. Soap is a challenge as is Monique, for exactly the opposite reason, but also because of Sophronia's ambiguous feelings toward both of them.
 
5. What is your Love List Top 3 for Etiquette & Espionage? 

1. Flying trifle
2. Flying mechanimal sausage dogs
3. Flying cheese pie

6. What are three things we can look forward to in Finishing School Book the Second, Curtsies & Conspiracies?

Travel, romantic travails, and infiltration operations.

~       ~       ~       ~       ~

And there you have it! I want to thank Ms. Carriger for doing this interview for me - she took time out of her horribly busy schedule to answer my questions, and I greatly appreciate it. I end with one final resounding recommendation that you pick up Etiquette & Espionage tomorrow from your local independent bookstore, or order it from one of these lovely distributors:

Barnes & Noble   The Book Depository   Amazon   Changing Hands

Enjoy! :}

Last Month I Discovered... I Can't Do Everything (Unfortunately)

Last month was truly a matter of discovery for me. There are so many things I plan to do this year, and in January I ran myself into the ground trying to start all of them. Needless to say, I discovered that I can't actually do All the Things - but I can do most of them, if I schedule myself.

Unfortunately, scheduling myself is not something I'm good at, so it's going to take some practice. I have declared February my "discovering the art of scheduling" month, so bear with me until I get the hang of it.

Further Things I Discovered Last Month:

• Daily To-Do List: I hung a small whiteboard beside my door and at the end of every day I note the following day's must-dos on it to check off. This has proved very helpful - I used to wander about the house, knowing I needed to do something but with no idea what. Now I always have something to do - and more importantly, something that needs doing that day!
• Book Review? Write it IMMEDIATELY: The past two books I've read, I wrote the review immediately after finishing the book. I usually struggle with reviews, but when I use this method I breeze through the First Draft in under a half-hour. If you review, I highly recommend this method.
• Editing Takes HARD WORK: And a LOT of drafts. But in the end, it's worth it. I hope.

So what did you discover last month?