EP Summer Carnival & Giveaway: Balloon Pop Booth from Entangled Teen!

Welcome to the Entangled TEEN Balloon Pop Booth! Entangled TEEN is all about the excitement of first love, so we are talking about all of the reasons a summer carnival makes a good date! Pintip Dunn, Vivi Barnes, Heidi R. Kling, and Gloria Craw are here to share their reasons and we would love to hear some of your carnival date stories. So be sure to leave a comment and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below!

OMG, I think one of my first dates ever was at a summer carnival! Why does it make a good date? Because it is fun, thrilling, playful, giddy, and romantic! You get to be a kid again as you scream on rides that smash you up against your date. Feel that rush of excitement when your hoop lands on the bottle and you win a gigantic stuffed animal. Taste the sticky sweetness of cotton candy on your date's lips. Best of all, you form memories that you still remember fondly 20 years later!

No other date can measure up to the excitement and… opportunities…of a carnival. Where else can you legitimately be smashed up against the cute guy without having to apologize for being in his space? Or be lifted a couple hundred feet in the air for a few peaceful minutes of conversation with zero possibilities of someone butting in? Or be given the opportunity to win a huge stuffed monkey that you know you must have, whether or not you really do. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll receive that special kiss you’ll remember far longer than that ugly orange monkey.

Hot. Summer, Night. Well, that's enough right there for romance to spark, but add some sticky cotton candy, popcorn, rides that push you into your partner instead of further apart, and if you're lucky? A moonlit kiss on a Ferris Wheel. Only thing missing from Paige and Jake's summer in Jackson Hole was the town carnival. Why didn't I think of that? Maybe in the sequel.

Carnivals are all about roller-coasters, so we can get some quality handholding-time in as we scream on the way down. Our guy might show off his man-skills and win a stuffed animal, and the food can be amazing. The best thing about a carnival date, though, is we’re going to get windblown hair, he might choose the scary, stuffed clown prize, and there’s a chance someone will spill Slurpee on their jeans. I think when the fun gets chaotic, we let our guard down and that’s when we really get to know someone.

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Don’t forgot to check out all the authors books below.

Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn

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Paper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes, on sale for just 99¢!

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Paint My Body Red by Heidi R. Kling, on sale for just 99¢!

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Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw

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The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller, on sale for just 99¢!

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Find it online:

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Author Info:

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And be sure to stop by the other carnival booths for more fun and giveaways and each day stop by the Facebook event page to chat with the authors.

ARC Review: Riverkeep by Martin Stewart

Title: Riverkeep
Author: Martin Stewart
Source/Format: First to Read; eARC
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Viking; July 26, 2016

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The Danék is a wild, treacherous river, and the Fobisher family has tended it for generations—clearing it of ice and weed, making sure boats can get through, and fishing corpses from its bleak depths. Wulliam’s father, the current Riverkeep, is proud of this work. Wull dreads it. And in one week, when he comes of age, he will have to take over. Then the unthinkable happens. While recovering a drowned man, Wull’s father is pulled under—and when he emerges, he is no longer himself. A dark spirit possesses him, devouring him from the inside. In an instant, Wull is Riverkeep. And he must care for his father, too. When he hears that a cure for his father lurks in the belly of a great sea-dwelling beast known as the mormorach, he embarks on an epic journey down the river that his family has so long protected—but never explored. Along the way, he faces death in any number of ways, meets people and creatures touched by magic and madness and alchemy, and finds courage he never knew he possessed...

As I was reading Riverkeep by Martin Stewart, I had one thought in mind: eh, this is okay. That feeling remained until the end. It had its high and low points, but by farmthe book wasn’t a bad story. And as far as fantasy novels go, Riverkeep was pretty good, a little slow at times, but still alright.

My initial reaction to the beginning was a little mixed. It wasn’t a bad opening, but I struggled to stick with the story and I almost gave up. However, I stuck with it out of sheer curiosity, and the desire to get answers for the questions I had.

Riverkeep was more of a coming-of-age story set against a fantasy backdrop full of perilous places and even more dangerous creatures. And despite the introduction of numerous characters, and the multitude of POVs throughout Riverkeep, the focus was really on Wull—following him as he struggles against change, and discovering where he belongs while dealing with a slowly unfolding personal tragedy.

There was a lot of traveling in Riverkeep since the characters had places to be for important reasons, which made the story drag in some places. However, the dialogue and slowly developing friendships between the characters is part of what got me through those parts. I was also curious to see how the story ended since the beginning set up a relatively strong conflict.

As promised by the synopsis, Wull met a lot of different people from different backgrounds, and under different circumstances. I won’t go into too much about them since it would be kind of spoiler for parts of the story. The things I liked best about Riverkeep were some of the secondary characters. The Mormorach was a key part of Riverkeep. It was a “great sea-dwelling beast” going about its business—albeit oversized and with a destructive tendency that bordered on absurd. It served as one of the antagonists, a source of conflict amongst the many outside factors that eventually concerned Wull.

Another thing I liked was the setting. It was done really well. It was dark, cold because of the time of year, and harsh—especially the river. It gave the story an eerie atmosphere, which was pretty fitting. The overall plot wasn’t bad. I actually liked it, and the ending was pretty good too since it neatly tied up the story.

So, while my initial reaction to Riverkeep was mixed, I am glad that I stuck with it.

This copy of the book was provided by First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!

Musing Mondays (57) Favorite Genre Characteristics Part #2

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: What’s your most favorite “chunky” book? (over 500 pages)

The Diviners by Libba Bray. It was a fantastic book, but I just haven't read the sequel yet.

Other musings...

Today, I’m going to pick up where last week’s Musing Mondays post left off. Last week, I started discussing some of the things I liked about the different genres/subgenres. Honestly, I thought I was going to write a couple of sentences, list what I liked, but it got too long so I split the post in two. So, here is part two of favorite genre characteristics.

High Fantasy (Fantasy)

For a number of reasons, I really enjoy fantasy. When I pick up a novel from this genre I’m mostly looking for a good story—as I do with most genres—although, I also look for things like world building, characters (doesn’t matter if they’re heroes or anti-heroes, male or female), and magic/mythology oriented with the made-up society. I always enjoy seeing different takes on magic from different authors. It’s always one of my favorite parts of any story that has it—with a few minor exceptions. The creatures are definitely another aspect of fantasy that I love. Some of them can be terrifying, but as long as they have a place in the story I’m totally down with them being there. More often than not, this also ties into the mythological aspect as well as the magic itself, the history of the world. Think along the lines of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas.

I always look for the “aha!” moment when everything just clicks together and makes sense—when all of the details finally come together to form the bigger picture.

Contemporary (Literarily Fiction)

I’ve been reading more contemporary lately, and I have found some gems. One thing I particularly enjoy is the relationships formed by the main character and the secondary characters. This kind of applies to any kind of relationship, whether it is a familial bond between parents and children, or just regular old friendships. I also look for the simplistic moments, ordinary, or even accidental occurrences. One example is This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.

Whew, and I’m done with this topic for now. I might come back to it later, add to it a little by expanding into other genres. But for now, I’m totally done with this. Despite how wordy it got, this was fun to do. What are you reading this week?

Review: The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton

Title: The Torn Wing
Author: Kiki Hamilton
Source/Format: Purchased; ebook
More Details: Fantasy; Young Adult 
Publisher/Publication Date: Gaslamp Books; August 9, 2012

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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?

So, I had no idea what to expect with The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton. I was unfamiliar with the author, but I knew that I had the book on my ereader for a long time. I’m having a lot of fun with backlist books lately, and I hoped to continue that trend when I decided to give The Torn Wing a try. I knew it was the second book in the series. I knew I didn’t have a copy of The Faerie Ring, but once I started reading I knew I was going to finish it anyway.

Have you ever come across those books where you read the first couple of pages, and you’re automatically like “I’m going to like this”? Well, that’s how it was for me. The Torn Wing started off really good, and I was immediately curious about the circumstances of the characters—and what the rest of the book had in store for them. The writing was excellent and had a nice flow to it with enough descriptions to flesh-out the setting. And because of that, it was easy to get into the story.

From the details spread throughout the book, it was easy to pick up on what happened in The Faerie Ring. And while I didn’t know the full story, there was enough information in conversations, interactions, and the character’s internal thoughts for me to get a good grasp on what happened. I’ve read enough books to recognize common tropes used in novels that involve faeries. However, the plot of The Torn Wing was one of its shining features, and I found it to be really interesting. I enjoyed Hamilton’s take on faeries, and the central conflict that directly stemmed from their part of the story.

The characters were also great. I think that Hamilton did a good job showing the bonds between Tiki and her friends—and her growing feelings for a certain character. It seemed very grounded and real—certainly plausible given the circumstances they collectively came from. Some of my favorite moments were definitely their interactions with one another.

So, the Torn Wing is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I would definitely consider picking up another one of Hamilton’s novels. (Actual rating 4.5 out of 5)

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...

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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...

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