Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Hear the Wolves by Victoria Scott

Have you heard? Victoria Scott's Hear the Wolves is coming out on March 28, 2017, which is pretty far away, I know. However, today I'm exited to take part in the cover reveal. Plus, stick around for the giveaway down at the bottom of the post. Trust me, you're going to want to enter for a chance to win one of the prizes. And now for the cover...

Title: Hear the Wolves

Author: Victoria Scott

Publisher: Scholastic 

Release Date: March 28, 2017

Synopsis...

It's survival of the strongest in a contemporary, girl-versus-wild middle-grade debut from Fire & Flood author Victoria Scott! 

Sloan is a hunter. So she shouldn't be afraid of anything. But ever since her mom left the family and she lost hearing in one ear in a blizzard, it's been hard to talk to people, and near-impossible to go anywhere or do anything without her dad or big sister within eyesight -- it makes her too scared to be on her own. When they leave her home alone for what should only be two nights, she's already panicked. Then the snow starts falling and doesn't stop. One of her neighbors is hurt in an accident. And the few people still left in Rusic need to make it to the river and the boat that's tied there -- their only way to get to a doctor from their isolated Alaska town. But the woods are icy cold, and the wolves are hungry. Sloan and her group are running out of food, out of energy, and out of time. That's when the wolves start hunting them...

Victoria Scott is the critically acclaimed author of Titans, Fire & Flood, Salt & Stone, the Dante Walker trilogy, Hear the Wolves (2017), and Violet Grenade (2017). She is published by Scholastic and Entangled Teen, and is represented by Sara Crowe. Her latest novel, Titans, received two starred reviews, and Fire & Flood was nominated as a YALSA Teens' Top 10 book of 2015. Victoria’s novels are sold in thirteen different countries, and she loves receiving reader emails from at home, and across the world...

Twitter     Website     Goodreads

And now, time for the giveaway. Below, you can enter for a chance to win one of 10 Hear the Wolves galleys. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the rafflecopter widget. This giveaway is US ONLY, and ends on Monday August 8th at midnight. Now, go forth, enter...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Friday 56 (71) The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y.S. Lee

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Queen Victoria has a problem: there's a thief at work in Buckingham Palace. The Agency - the secret all-female detective unit - assigns quick-witted Mary Quinn to the case. Posing as a palace maid and fending off the attentions of the Prince of Wales are challenging enough, but when the prince witnesses a murder, Mary's case becomes anything but petty. Engineer and former flame James Easton has an assignment in the sewers, where someone is making illicit use of the tunnels. Mary will need James's help if she's going catch a thief, solve a murder - and avert disaster...

"She hoped it would continue to be, especially now. "These are the principles you taught me--the importance of justice, and even of second chances for those who never had a decent first chance. It's because of what I learned from you that I need to stay on the case."--The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y.S. Lee

Comments: The Traitor in the Tunnel is the last book I have for this series on my shelf. I'm really looking forward to reading it. 

What are you reading this weekend?

Musing Mondays (56) Favorite Genre Characteristics Part #1

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at Books and a Beat, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

Random Weekly Question from July 4th:What is your favorite book title?

Actually, this is a good question. I have a lot of favorite book titles, mainly because some of them were just catchy while others come from books I genuinely enjoyed. Plus some titles are a combination of both while also entirely fitting for the story they're attached to. So, I'll drop a short list of a handful of my favorites below...

• Daughter of Smoke & Bone
• Days of Blood and Starlight
• Illuminae
• Love Fortunes and Other Disasters 
• Love Charms and Other Catastrophes
• The Diviners
• A Wind in the Door
• Wintersmith
• Ironside
• The Iron King

Other Musings...

After writing out the majority of this post, I realized how long-winded it turned out to be. I thought this was going to be a shorter post an easier one to write, but the actual length burst my original estimate by a mile. In light of that, I’ve decided to divide it between two Musing Mondays post. So, expect part 2 next week.

Anyway, today, I’m here to talk about some of my favorite genre characteristics. When done right—or just given a fresh twist—I think any common characteristic can be used effectively to enhance a novel, rather than detract from it.

Paranormal & Urban Fantasy

Oh, this is a good one. I read paranormal novels just for the heck of it. I have enjoyed a lot of books from this subgenre. It has a lot to offer. What I like most about it is finding new authors who use common characteristics of paranormal creatures and conflicts and put a good spin to them. It’s all in the use. So, it doesn’t matter the similarities a given book might have with another as long as there’s something about the book to set it apart. A good example of this one is The Night Has Teeth by Kat Kruger.

Science Fiction (Sci-fi) (Space Opera)

Science fiction is another favorite genre of mine. This one is a little easier to describe since I mainly look for a couple of things—technology, and the what if such and such situations about some topic. I like the ships, the battles in space, and the adventurous aspect combined with futuristic elements. I’ve also enjoyed books with more of a focus on the scientific aspect like The Martian. In retrospect, it doesn’t only have to focus on the science aspects. If topics like social issues come up, I wouldn’t mind seeing a story like that set against the backdrop of space or some alien civilization.

I’m going to end this part of the post here. Next week, I’m going to go into what I like about fantasy and contemporary, which will bring this set of posts to a close. What are some of your favorite genre characteristics?

The Friday 56 (70) The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

London 1872 -

A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation...

As an orphan who stole the Queen's ring - only to find the ring was a reservoir that held a truce between the world of Faerie and the British Court - Tiki’s greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and those she loves, Tiki needs to know the meaning of an fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will she be brave enough to face the truth?

"It took thirty minutes for Tiki and Fiona to walk from Grosvenor Square to Charing Cross railway station. They cut down Saville Row and over to Regent Street, the roads busy with carriages and omnibuses ferrying the masses through the heart of London."--The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton 

What are some of your favorite books that feature fairies?

Review: Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius

Title: Love Charms and Other Catastrophes
Author: Kimberly Karalius
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Young Adult
Publisher/Publication Date: Swoon Reads; May 17, 2016

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Sometimes love comes gift-wrapped…literally...

Aspiring love-charm maker Hijiri Kitamura was excited to come back to Grimbaud for her sophomore year—until she learned about the upcoming charm-making competition. She, along with her friends and fellow rebels, had worked too hard to free the town from Zita’s tyrannical love fortunes to allow some other charm maker to move in and take over. The only solution is for Hijiri to win the contest herself.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, especially when Love itself has decided to meddle in Hijiri’s life. Concerned that its favorite charm maker has given up on finding a love of her own, Love delivers a very special gift—the perfect boyfriend, specially crafted just for her...

Last year, Love Fortunes and Other Disasters was one of my favorite books. So, it’s easy to see why I was so excited for the sequel, Love Charms and Other Catastrophes. I was ready to go back to Grimbaud and see where my favorite characters ended up. Plus, I also wanted to see what happened to the town now that it was free from Zita’s tyrannical monopoly on love.

So, over 4th of July weekend, I stopped by Barnes & Noble and finally picked up a copy. Needless to say, Love Charms and Other Catastrophes was a spectacular follow-up. It was just as charming and entertaining as the first in the series. However, rather than a rebellion against Zita, there’s a new danger present in Grimbaud: love charm makers and shady business practices. Plus, Love was back and meddling again, only this time the focus was on Hijiri’s love life.

I was really glad that Karalius decided to tell Hijiri’s story since her perspective was so interesting. I was rooting for Hijiri to get a happy ending since she played such a fundamental role in both books. It was also great to see Fallon, Sebastian, and the rest of the club members again. There was a lot of character development going on since the characters were getting older, and for some, their time in high school was coming to an end. So, despite the magic of the story, there were moments when ordinary troubles were addressed.

Love Fortunes and Other Disasters was a strong opening for the series. The groundwork was all there—characters, setting, and convincing conflict and themes that could and were carried over to the sequel. Love Charms and Other Catastrophes had good plot and pacing. From page one I was hooked. Karalius’ writing was fantastic, and captured the charming atmosphere of the setting. The extra details only added to the pre-established world, and fleshed-out secondary characters both new and old.

So, while it might have taken me a while to get my copy, Love Charms and Other Catastrophes was well-worth the wait. It was a delightful novel with a satisfying ending, and deserved its place as the sequel to one of my all-time favorite books. Now, I’m just curious to see what Karalius writes next.