Mundie Moms

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski



Released on: October 16th, 2013 TODAY
Purchase from: MacMillanAmazon | Barnes & Noble 
Source: ARC from publisher to review
4.5 Stars: I Really Enjoyed It!

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. So she isn’t surprised that she doesn’t recognize Conn, the new boy at her high school, even though he seems to know her—or at least know something about her.
What does surprise her is how quickly she comes to trust Conn, and that he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But his interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she was his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy and she is arrested, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not Conn, not herself, and not even the laws of nature. Because this world isn’t the only one. Darcy belongs in an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire never happened, and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Darcy needs some answers.

And she hates that the person most able to help her get them is Conn. -quoted from the publisher

What an awesome read! I love it when I sit down to read a book and become enthralled with it's detailed setting, and utterly original storyline. The Shadow Society was just that for me. I found the concept behind this story completely appealing, and I was impressed that Marie created a story based on someone's shadow. Not only is this something I've not read about before, but her story telling was so engaging that I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't but this book down. I had to know more. I wanted to know more about the characters, and their world or should I say the two worlds that exist in this story. 

There's plenty of mystery and some fabulous twists that Marie throws into her story. Those twists are fabulous! I love it when an author makes me think one thing, and than wham, something happens and a shocking twist is revealed. One of the things I've had a hard time with, with reading lately is there have been a recent string of books I've grown bored with, because their storyline's are so predictable (no these aren't books I've reviewed on the blog). I didn't feel like The Shadow Society was predictable in anyway at all. Even the beginning when I might have cringed a little bit with the generic boy meets girl, and boy and girl have this immediate attraction turned out to be something entirely different than I first thought. Let me just say I didn't see that one twist coming, at all. I had suspicions, but didn't think that was going to happen.

I really enjoyed the way Darcy, our main character, and Conn, the love interest's relationship was developed. It goes from hot to cold quickly and as I mentioned above, that twist is fabulous! It's that twist that leads to a whole new set of twists, hidden agendas, lies and secrets. The story is seriously one fast paced, action packed read with an exciting plot line. I felt like the story got better and better as it went on. The other element I loved, was of course the forbidden love in this story. It's one that is exciting, scary, and changes the way both characters view the worlds around them, and what one of them stands for. I liked that this love challenged the characters, made them think, take action, and change for the better. 

If you're looking for something engaging, highly entertaining, and a read that's unlike ones you've recently read, I'd highly recommend picking up this book! You can find out more about Marie's The Shadow Society by reading my interview with her here.

Madly In Love Blog Tour w/ The Evolution of Mara Dyer: Interview / Giveaway


I'm thrilled to be today's stop in the Madly in Love tour w/ The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Today's stop features a quote from the book, an interview with Michelle and a giveaway! If you haven't already, check out The Evolution of Mara Dyer teaser trailer premiered previously on Mundie Moms. 


QUOTE:



Noah started this chase and I stood before him, waiting to be caught. He could have me, but he refused to move.

Only then did I realize why.

He wanted to be caught. He was waiting for me to chase him.

QUESTIONS:

Noah says the kinds of things to Mara that have us readers frantically dog-earing pages or using post-it notes to mark the location so we can reread them again and again. What’s one romantic line from a book that makes you swoon every time you read it?

This is shameful to admit, but I actually haven’t read much romance, and the line that follows doesn't come from one. Still, I've never read anything quite so searing (and it's the first line of the book). 

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin. My soul." - Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita.

Let’s say Mara and Noah could both swap their abilities for the supernatural abilities of any other character in young adult literature. Who might each of them choose to switch with?

I think Clary Fray's ability to draw new runes (see The Mortal Instruments) would really appeal to Mara; the ability to change reality with her pencil, as it were.

Noah hasn't read much YA, so I'm going to cheat and say that he would want the ability to do magic; not the Harry Potter variety, but the Magicians variety. Magic would be worthless to him unless his fingers and his mind ached with the learning of it.


About the Book:

Published by: Simon & Schuster
To Be Released on: October 23rd, 2012
Pre-Order it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

The truth about Mara Dyer’s dangerous and mysterious abilities continues to unravel in this gripping sequel to the thrilling The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?



About Michelle Hodkin  - website | Twitter  | Facebook | Goodreads  | pinterest


At the age of sixteen, Michelle Hodkin lost the rights to her soul in a poker game with pirates just south of Natchez. Shortly thereafter, she joined an acting troupe and traveled the world performing feats of wonder and mischief. She has been seen on stages nationwide and earned rave reviews for her one woman performance of Titus Andronicus before writing The Unbecoming of  Mara Dyer, her first novel which is available now. The sequel, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, hits shelves October 23, 2012, and the third book in the trilogy, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, hits shelves Fall 2013. Michelle currently lives with her three pets and may or may not be a reliable narrator of her own life. 


Tour Schedule:
Monday, October 15th - Supernatural Snark
Tuesday, October 16th - Mundie Moms
Wednesday, October 17th - The Book Swarm
Thursday, October 18th - Refracted Light Reviews
Friday, October 19th - Dazzling Reads

Monday, October 22nd - Candace's Book Blog
Tuesday, October 23rd (release day) - Bookish Type Reviews
Wednesday, October 24th - Page Turners
Thursday, October 25th - Pure Imagination
Friday, October 26th - Bewitched Bookworms

Monday, October 29th - Books and Things
Tuesday, October 30th - Alice Marvels


The Giveaway: 

Today's giveaway includes 1 cophy of The Evolution of Mara Dyer and some epic Super Secret Swag of Awesome. To enter, please fill out the form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*winners will be announced via Kismet Blog Tours

Conjure Blog Tour: Author Interview / Giveaway

 I'm thrilled to be one of three stops to be kicking off today's Conjure blog tour hosted by Entangled Publishing. Be sure to check out the entire blog tour, as there are a lot of awesome giveaways, reviews and author interviews happening over the next two weeks.


Hi Lea! Welcome to Mundie Moms. I was hooked with you book based on the synopsis alone. What inspired your story?

Wow! Thanks! I’m so pleased to hear that. You may find this hard to believe but the story idea came from a Chick Fil A kid meal bag. I swear. We’d just gone through the drive through and my daughter was reading the little educational factoids they print on the bags. Her little voice floated up from the back seat. “Mommy, did you know pirates used to send messages in a bottle?” No, I’d never heard that. As I drove down the road I wondered, why would a pirate need to send a message in a bottle? Then an answer came to me: He must be in trouble. Maybe his ship and crew was cursed. From there, the story snowballed and before I knew it, I had to set aside the novel I’d been planning to start to write this one instead. Needless to say, I’m very happy my daughter read the bag!

I love the message in a bottle element. Have you ever found a message in a bottle? If you did, what would you do with it?

I wish I had! I grew up on Long Island in a house that overlooked the Long Island Sound. Every summer I would scan the beach hoping to find a bottle with a secret message inside. Unfortunately I never found one, but I had a very impressive seashells and sea glass collection instead.

What's one thing you came to admire about your main character Emma?

I love Emma’s inner strength and conviction. She does everything possible to save the people she loves the most, including facing down some truly terrifying obstacles. I also love how she develops throughout the story. Emma starts off pretty shy and a loner, someone who’s more comfortable with her art supplies than hanging out with a bunch of kids. But over the novel she finds her voice and asserts herself in pretty surprising ways. I can’t wait to see how she develops over the rest of the series.

Cooper Beaumont sounds like a character readers are going to love. Can you tell us a little about him?

Ah, Cooper. If you were here right now you’d see the goofy smile on my face. I have to admit I’ve got a little innocent crush on him. Like a true Southern Boy, he’s brave and gallant, willing to put himself in harm’s way for Emma and his best friend, Jack. But he’s also sweet and caring and very respectful of Emma’s talent and abilities. Plus he’s got wide, strong shoulders, amazing biceps and killer abs. In other words, he’s the total package.

What element of you story did you enjoy writing the most, the adventure, the paranormal aspect, the romance or the mystery?

This is a tough one because I really adore every distinct element and loved watching how they came together. This story took on a life of its own, asserting its action-adventure personality early on. Then Emma and Cooper’s romance developed, adding irresistible texture and emotional complication. And who can resist the incredibly cool Gullah hoodoo magic and mythology? These elements knit together, feeding into one another, to propel the plot forward. A few of the mysteries are solved in book one, but there are plenty left to answer in the remaining two books in the series. I can’t wait for readers to see how everything shakes out!

Thank you for stopping by Mundie Moms today Lea!
Thanks so much for having me! I love this blog and am thrilled to have had a chance to visit with you!

~Lea

You can learn more about Lea on her website, on Facebook, Twitter and on Goodreads. CONJURE is available at both Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

About the Book:




Title: Conjure (The Hoodoo Apprentice, #1)
Author: Lea Nolan
Genre: Young Adult
Length: 400 pages
Release Date: October 16, 2012
ASIN: B009NY42GM
Print ISBN: 978-1620610978

Be careful what you search for...

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

But when a strange girl appears bent on revenge, demon dogs become a threat, and Jack turns into a walking skeleton, Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.


Praise for CONJURE:
“Richly filled with exquisite imagery, a compelling story, and a strong, smart heroine. Conjure will keep you up way past your bedtime.” --Trinity Faegen, author of The Mephisto Covenant series




About the Author:

Lea Nolan couldn’t read until the third grade. After a lot of hard work she finally got the hang of it and devoured any book she could find with a shiny Newberry Award sticker on the cover. She writes the kinds of stories she sought as a teen—smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She’s holds degrees in history and women’s studies concentrating in public policy and spent fifteen years as a health policy analyst and researcher. She lives in Maryland with her heroically supportive husband and three clever children. Her debut YA novel, CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series is a new release from Entangled Publishing under the Entangled Teen imprint

Follow Lea via: her Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog 

The Giveaway:

I have two giveaways today! Thank you to Entangled Publishing I have an exclusive CONJURE charm bracelet I'm giving away, as well as an e-copy of CONJURE.

The 1st: To enter to win an e-copy of CONJURE, please leave a comment along with your email address below. This giveaway will end at midnight TONIGHT. 

The 2nd: to win this exclusive CONJURE charm bracelet today on MM's, please fill out this form below.


Comment to win the copy and fill out the form below to win this fabulous charm bracelet. The book is open internationally and the charm bracelet is open to residents in the US only.

Twitter Tuesday: YALSA Teens' Top Ten Announced





Twitter was buzzing yesterday because YALSA announced their 2012 Teens' Top Ten books. Hmm, did your favorites make it on there? What do you guys think of the choices? I included links to Katie's reviews and she rated them highly, too.

 1) Veronica Roth, Divergent (MM's review )
 2) John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
 3) Marie Lu, Legend (MM's review )
 4) Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
 5) Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye
 6) Beth Revis, Across the Universe (MM's review)
 7) Maggie Stiefvater, Scorpio Races (MM's review)
 8) Marissa Meyer, Cinder
 9) Gayle Forman, Where She Went (MM's review)
10) Meg Cabot, Abandon (MM's review)

I'd add a few more to that list, but then it wouldn't be a Top Ten, would it?

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