Mundie Moms

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

VAMPIRE ACADEMY 10th Anniversary Edition by Richelle Mead / Giveaway #VampireAcademy10 #VA10


The 10th Anniversary Edition of Richelle Mead's VAMPIRE ACADEMY is out today! Check out this beautiful cover! We've teamed up with Penguin Teen to celebrate with a giveaway! Before you enter to win, here's a little bit about today's new release:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Richelle Mead celebrates 10 years of Vampire Academy with an exclusive, never-before-seen collection of stories that sheds new light on the world and its players: 
 
  • The Turn and the Flame takes a deeper look into the dark stain on the Ozera dynasty...
  • Hello My Name is Rose Hathaway tracks the shenanigans that ensue when Rose and Dimitri become unlikely teammates in a high-stakes scavenger hunt...
  • The Meeting gives us a glimpse of Rose Hathaway through Dimitri's eyes...
  • From the Journal of Vasilisa Dragomir unearths the princess's private thoughts from a transformative period of her life...
 
St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school--it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi VampirePrincess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's--the very place where they're most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi--the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires--make Lissa one of them forever.
 
ENTER TO WIN

Enter for a chance to win one of five (5) paperback copies of Vampire Academy 10th Anniversary Edition by Richelle Mead (ARV = $11.99 each).

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 9:00 AM Eastern Time on November 29, 2016 and 11:59 PM Eastern Time on December 5, 2016.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about December 12, 2016. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. 
 

Catching Up With @ShadowhuntersTV #shadowhunters


Happy Belated Mundane Monday. Though let's be honest, we're glad it's not Monday anymore. Check out some of the most recent Tweets from Shadowhunters TV featuring season 2 casting news and more! 

RECENT SHADOWHUNTERS TWEETS





The count down for Shadowhunters Season 2 continues. Who's ready to watch it?

Latest Book News on Twitter / Twitter Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! Just in case you missed it, check out some of the latest book news, pre-order giveaways, book trailer news, and 2016 book lists, tweets from Twitter. 






OUT TODAY - New Releases 11/29/16


November kicked off with some amazing releases, and comes to an end with a few more awesome releases. Check out today's new releases hitting bookstore shelves:
Which books will you be picking up? Check out the rest of this month's releases here

Monday, November 28, 2016

THE ENDS OF THE WORLD By Maggie Hall / Cover Reveal / Giveaway


Welcome to today's cover reveal for THE ENDS OF THE WORLD by Maggie Hall! This is the third, and final book in her, A Conspiracy of Us series, which releases in July 2017. We are so thrilled to reveal this cover. 

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Isn't it stunning? I love this cover. The purple is striking. I love how this cover compliments the other covers in the series. I'd pick up this book based on the cover alone.

Check out the series cover together:


The covers look amazing! I love seeing them all together. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: THE ENDS OF THE WORLD

By: Maggie Hall
Published by: Penguin Teen
To Be Released on: July 18th, 2017
SeriesA Conspiracy of Us #3
Pre-Order from: Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

(Spoilers ahead for books 1 and 2!!) 

The Circle is hers.

But Avery West has lost everything else: her mother, the family she’d just found, and the one boy she trusted. In their place are unfathomable power, a staged relationship that makes her question every real feeling she’s ever had, and a mission to find the cure to the virus that’s made her own blood a weapon.

Then disaster strikes, turning Avery, Stellan, Jack, and Elodie into the most wanted people in the world. To clear their names and the growing rift between the families of the Circle before the world dissolves into World War Three, they’ll have to make a desperate, dangerous final race for Alexander the Great’s tomb. What they will find inside will mean the world’s salvation—or destruction.

Avery will have to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice—for the world, for family, and for love—in this thrilling conclusion to the Conspiracy of Us series. 


A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR ON THE COVER


Thanks so much for having me to chat about the cover for THE ENDS OF THE WORLD! 

This is the final book in the Conspiracy of Us series, and in it, we find Avery a very changed girl. She’s gone from knowing nothing about the Circle of Twelve—the powerful, shadowy society her family is part of—to being one of its most important members. But power is the last thing on Avery’s mind. She’s seen her life turned upside down and lost nearly everyone she cares about, and it’s made her angry, cold, and ready to embrace being part of the Circle if it means revenge. In the world of the Circle, though, power is a knife edge, and if you think you know everyone’s secrets, you’re wrong. 

In this book, you’ll learn a lot more about certain characters, you’ll finally get to know the answers to questions Avery has had since the beginning—and I think you’ll be pretty surprised by...well, a lot of things. :) This cover is pretty ominous, but there’s also a ray of light breaking through, and I think that’s very fitting for the book. 

I’m so looking forward to you reading it! 

A couple notes:

I WILL be doing a preorder campaign, but I don’t have all the details yet. Keep checking my social media and website for details, but for now, if you preorder, please keep your receipt! 

If you’d like to keep up with Conspiracy news, including the preorder campaign, I have two newsletters, both of which you can sign up for here (http://www.maggiehall.com/p/join-12.html). The Fandom Newsletter (bonus scenes, fandom exclusives, etc) comes out once a month, and the News newsletter (just news!) comes out less frequently. 

ENTER TO WIN


From Maggie: I'm excited to give one reader an ARC of THE ENDS OF THE WORLD (when it’s available) plus a prize pack of tattoos, bookmarks, and postcards! (US only, please.)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maggie Hall indulges her obsession with distant lands and far-flung adventures as often as she can. She has played with baby tigers in Thailand, learned to make homemade pasta in Italy, and taken thousands of miles of trains through the vibrant countryside of India. In her past life, she was a bookstore events coordinator and marketing manager, and when she's not on the other side of the world, she lives with her husband and their cats in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she watches USC football and works in graphic design in addition to writing. You can find her on her website, and also Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you to all of our followers, authors & publishers for your friendship, support & getting our love of books. We are so grateful for each of you. We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! (Pic: I took in Central Park- miss being in NYC)

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Ten Things I'm Thankful For / Top Ten Tuesday #63


Hello and welcome to this week's Top Ten Tuesday! It's been a couple weeks since last posted a TTT post. I love this week's topic. This week's topic is Ten Things I'm Thankful For This Year. My previous Top Ten Tuesday post was, 

I love that this week's topic falls inline with Thanksgiving. I went with a more bookish theme with my gratitude list. Here are 10 Things I'm Thankful For:

MY FAMILY

I am so grateful for my family. I love that my kids are at the ages where reading has really become exciting for them. They're finally getting my love of reading, and may love getting new books almost as much as I do.

BOOKS

I love the power books have to uplift, encourage, inspired, comfort, and for a short time, allow you to escape to a whole other world while never leaving the comforts of home. I also love my library. There's something magical about being in a room full of books.

FRIENDS

Books have introduced me to some pretty amazing people, and I am so blessed to call them my friends. Some of my best friends have been made because of a book. I don't know where I'd be without them.

MY BLOGS

I am so grateful to be able to do still do what I've always loved, and that's promote books and reading.  What started out as an outlet to promote my love of a few books, morphed into something incredible, that I never thought possible. I've been able to do a lot of amazing things, and meet a lot of incredible people through my blogs.

YOU

I am so grateful to our blog readers. Thank you for the time you take to stop by and read our posts, or connect with us online. I love that you get our love of reading.

THE BOOK COMMUNITY

This community is made up for some pretty amazing authors, book promoters, and bloggers. I've loved being able to connect with so many of them over the last nine years. They never cease to amaze me and inspire me.

BOOKSTAGRAM 

What's not to love about pictures of books. I love the joy my friends spread in sharing their bookish pictures. It's my happy place. Plus it's pictures of books, what's not to love about it.

READING

The power of reading is amazing. While I may have struggled with being able to read all throughout elementary school, it never stopped me from picking up books. I've always loved reading.

MY JOB

I love working in education, and the people I get to work with. I also love that I work around people who love reading just as much as I do.

NO SCHOOL

I am so grateful for no school this week. I love that my kiddos are home, and we don't have to set an alarm, do homework, or anything school related. I love being able to just hang out with my kiddos. 


*  *  *  *  * 

What are some things you're grateful for? To all celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I hope you have a fabulous holiday! I hope that everything going on in our country, doesn't take away from the magic of the holiday seasons. 

OUT TODAY - 11/22 NEW YA RELEASES


Out today! Check out the newest YA releases hitting book store shelves:
Which new releases will you be picking up?

Monday, November 21, 2016

OBLIVION by Jennifer L. Armentrout / Book Review


By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by: Entangled Teen
Released on: December 1st, 2015
Series: Lux Series
Rating: 4.5 stars - I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase fromAmazon | Kobo | BAM | Barnes and Noble | iBooks
Add it to Goodreads


Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

There's never a shortage of snark, or swoon when it comes to Daemon Black.  Daemon's point of view definitely does not disappoint. It has all the swoon, snark, and laugh out loud moments I had excepted it to have. It also made me love Kat all the more for dishing it right back to Daemon when he purposely pushes her buttons.

While that infuriating side of him may make him enduring, and charming, I also loved the protective side of Daemon. The warrior side of him that would do anything to protect Dee, and those he cares about, including Kat. I really liked seeing him fall for Kat, through his point of view. It definitely took the swoon up a few levels. I also couldn't help but laugh while reading his inner monologue during a few scenes. 

Sometimes you just need a little Daemon Black to get through the day. If you're a fan of the Lux series, and haven't yet picked up this book, don't do what I did, and wait almost a year after it's release to read it. Pick it up and read it now. It's a fun, quick, entertaining read. Be prepared to fall in love with Daemon Black all over again! 

TDA Fanart / Mundane Monday #293 #TDA #Shadowhunters


Happy Mundane Monday Shadowhunters! Check out the newest TDA fanart Cassandra Jean created, which Cassie shared here:

“Okay,” Kit said. “But I would just say that it isn’t always about people knowing what’s best for you, or thinking they do. Sometimes they would just miss you.”
“Livvy would miss me —”
“Your whole family would miss you,” said Kit, “and I would miss you.”
I can not wait for more of the TDA series. May seems so far away. Just in case you missed it, check out the cover reveal for Lord of Shadows, here

Sunday, November 20, 2016

LORD OF SHADOWS COVER / COVER REVEAL #LordofShadows #TDA


During Friday's Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy launch in NYC, Cassandra Clare and Alberto Rosende, revealed the cover for LORD OF SHADOWS. This cover is stunning! I can not wait to see this cover on the actual book. It is amazing to see in person. 

Below I've shared the video from the live cover reveal, and I've also included a brief description about the cover, which Cassie shared here on Tumblr:

The cover of Lord of Shadows! Julian and the skyline of modern London, which we will be visiting along with the Blackthorns in LoS. Lord of Shadows will be released May 23, 2017. #tda #thedarkartifices

THE COVER REVEAL 
Lord of Shadows is the second book in The Dark Artifices series, and will be released on May 23rd, 2017. Pre-order it from Amazon, and add it Goodreads

TALES FROM THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY Launch Event - RECAP #TFSANYC #shadowhunters


Happy Shadowhunter Sunday! I just got back from amazing trip to NYC. I had a wonderful time being able to attend the launch of Tales from The Shadowhunter Academy and helping out at the event. It was not only wonderful to see Cassie, Alberto, and a few great friends, I also loved seeing so many amazing fans, from all over. It was so wonderful to meet you all. 



The event was a blast! Cassie talked about her newest release, Simon, and Lord of Shadows. We all loved hearing Alberto talk about Simon. I think it's safe to say that he gets Simon as much as Cassie does. He's also a huge fan of the book series, and he said he and Kat have both read the entire series, except the new release. He's planning on reading it when he re-reads the TMI series.

Through out the event I was live tweeting, and posting videos. You can see all the tweets, pictures and videos via #TFSANYC, and I also included some of the pictures and the videos below. 


Not only did we love hearing Cassie and Alberto talk about Simon, the books, and TV show, we loved hearing more about Lord of Shadows. 

TALKING ABOUT SIMON'S CHARACTER GROWTH


TALKING ABOUT SIMON'S PROGRESSION IN TMI Series



TALKING ABOUT SIMON AT THE END OF COHF and in TFTSA


CASSIE TALKING ABOUT LORD OF SHADOWS


THE COVER REVEAL 


This cover is stunning! 



The Q&A portion was just as great. Fans came with some amazing questions for Cassie and Simon. I LOVE Alberto's answer about diversity. 

I love what Alberto said here about diversity:


 After the Q&A, we had the privilege of teaming up with Simon & Schuster to do some trivia, which included handing out some exclusive prizes, like a Shadowhunters sweatshirt, taro card sets, the limited edition post from Y'allFest, tote bags and more. 


A few of my favorite pictures from the event:


Heading out to the event. It was so great to meet up all together and head to the event together. I loved catching up with everyone. 


This is one of my favorite pictures. I have to say, Alberto is very much like Simon. It was so great to meet him, and visit with him. The last time I had the chance to talk to him, was when I did a phone interview with him. You can read my interview w/ him here. 


I loved getting to spend time with these two fabulous people. 
Cassandra Clare, and Alberto Rosende, and myself. 

This picture makes me laugh, because Alberto makes impromptu picture taking look natural, and so does Cassie, but I have no idea what I'm doing. 


I loved getting to see a few friends at the signing!


This cover reveal was one of the highlights of the night! The Lord of Shadows cover is AMAZING! *This is NOT a copy of the book, just the cover of the book.

THANK YOU to Simon & Schuster, Cassandra Clare, Alberto and everyone who made the launch such an incredible night! 


You can't go to NYC without a quick trip to Central Park. It is stunning in the fall. Here's a few pictures from our quick trip around town yesterday, before I headed home. 

I love that Central Park has a statue for both Hans Christian Andersen, and Alice in Wonderland. I couldn't leave without taking a picture of both of them. 

Of course Simon had to come to Central Park with us. He's looking fierce too. 

When you have a friend who lives in NYC, and she indulges the tourists, and gets them back by taking a picture of them taking pictures. LOL The city looks amazing all decked out for Christmas. 

Friday, November 18, 2016

FATE OF FLAMES by Sarah Raughley / Blog Tour: Book Review / Giveaway


By: Sarah Raughley
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Released on: November 22nd, 2016
Series: EFFIGIES #1
Purchase from: Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 3.5 stars - It's A Good Read
I received an arc from the publisher in exchange for my honest review

Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series.

When Phantoms—massive beasts made from nightmares and darkness—suddenly appeared and began terrorizing the world, four girls, the Effigies, each gained a unique power to control one of the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Since then, four girls across the world have continually fought against the Phantoms, fulfilling their cosmic duty. And when one Effigy dies, another girl gains her power as a replacement.


But now, with technologies in place to protect the world’s major cities from Phantom attacks, the Effigies have stopped defending humanity and, instead, have become international celebrities, with their heroic feats ranked, televised, and talked about in online fandoms.

Until the day that New York City’s protection against the Phantoms fails, a man seems to be able to control them by sheer force of will, and Maia, a high school student, unexpectedly becomes the Fire Effigy.

Now Maia has been thrown into battle with three girls who want nothing to do with one another. But with the first human villain that the girls have ever faced, and an army of Phantoms preparing for attack, there isn’t much time for the Effigies to learn how to work together. 

Can the girls take control of their destinies before the world is destroyed forever? 

Girl power, diversity, and a the power to control the elements. With her diverse cast of leading ladies who can kick some major butt, a few plot twists, some stellar world building and action scenes, debut author Sarah Raughley introduces her readers to a whole new world with Fate of Flames. This is one book I have been looking forward to reading this year, and it didn't disappoint. 

I loved that this book has a diverse cast of female characters. I loved how they all came together as a team, and worked together. Their differences are what makes them a stronger team. Each character had their strong points, and their weaknesses. Some I liked more than others, but even with the ones I wasn't a huge fan of, Raughley allowed me to understand why they acted the way they did. Being an Effligies takes a toll on the girls. I liked how they all learn to help each other, and while at the same time coming to terms with certain things that individually weigh down on each of the characters. I'm being vague in hopes of renaming spoiler free.

Character wise I like Maia the most. I'll admit, my feelings were back and forth with her through out the book, though towards the end I really liked the character she became. I knew she had it in her. There's a lot for her to get used to, and learn being apart of Elligies. Not to mention she's trying to solve the mysterious death of one of her idols. While I liked that over all the girls could be snarky to each other, and had each other's backs, they had moments of being catty to each other. One of the things I did enjoy about this book is their learning to work together, and by the end of the book I felt like the girls finally find their niche together.  

I really liked Rhys. It takes a strong guy to be around a cast of incredibly strong women, and Rhys was perfect for the job. There's a lot to him that's still shrouded in mystery that I'm dying to know what he's hiding. I liked the relationship he and Maia develop, though it's still a really new one. I hope we get to see a lot more of them together in the next book.

I am not a huge sci-fi fan, but I loved this sci-fi/fantasy blend. I liked how the Elligries organization, the world building, and the characters are all tied together well. As the story progresses, we get a better understanding of all three. I liked that there's a lot more to the Elligy world, than what we get in this book. 

The action scenes are AWESOME! These girls know how to fight, and have each other's backs. I loved that these scenes show case each of the girl's powers, and individual strengths. I loved how well they all work together. The girl power in this book is awesome! 

Over all, this is a great introduction to a series. The character growth was just as I excepted, and there's still a lot of unanswered question that I imagine will be answered in the sequel. It was enough to hook me. I look forward to picking up the next book in this series. I need answers!

ABOUT SARAH RAUGHLEY



Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).

She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.
So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.
LINKS: Website | Twitter | Tumblr

ENTETR TO WIN
3 Finished Copies of FATE OF FLAMES (US Only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOLLOW THE TOUR
11/14: Such A Novel Idea - Review

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