Release Day, Sale Alert & Giveaway: Starfall by Melissa Landers

Today is the release day for Melissa Landers' Starfall, the sequel to Starflight. Keep scrolling to find out more about the book and enter for a chance to win some cool prizes. But before you do, I need to mention that there's a sale happening right now. Haven’t read the first book in the duology? Well, you’re in luck. For a limited time, Starflight is on sale for 99 cents for all e-formats... 

Title: Starfall

Author: Melissa Landers

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 

Publication Date: February 7, 2017

Synopsis from Goodreads...

When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a ship hand, she is finally returning to her beloved home, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend...with occasional benefits. Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee plan a desperate rescue mission. 

But when they arrive on Eturia, Cassia isn't exactly in need of heroics—she's claimed her birthright as Eturia's queen, but has inherited a war-torn planet simmering with rebellion. Cassia must make alliances, and Kane, the bastard son of a merchant, isn't a choice that will earn her any friends. Kane knows he will never find someone to replace Cassia—and is certain she returns his feelings—but how can he throw away his own promising future waiting on a queen? When the outer realm is threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew uncover a horrifying conspiracy that endangers the entire universe. In the face of unspeakable evil, Cassia must confront her own family's complicated legacy on Eturia and decide once and for all who her real family is...

A note from the author....

Hi, booklovers!

I’m author Melissa Landers, and I’m so excited to launch Starfall, the second and final book in my Starflight duology! This story picks up shortly after the first book ends, but now Cassia and Kane are the main characters, with Doran, Solara, and the rest of the Banshee crew pitching in to help take down an intergalactic mafia. (You know, just an ordinary day in space.) And while saying goodbye to characters is never easy, I think I gave the crew a proper sendoff with plenty of humor, heart, and action. I hope you love Starfall as much as I do!

Praise for Starflight...

“Smart, action-packed and utterly addictive!” –New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman

“Starflight has the cinematic appeal, warp-speed action and unlikely heroes of Star Wars.” –Justine Magazine

“A lively tale of romance, space pirates, conspiracy, and made (as opposed to genetic) families.” –Booklist 

“A great choice for fans of raw sci-fi action, reminiscent of the lawlessness presented in the television series Firefly.” –School Library Journal

STARFLIGHT

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Indie Bound

STARFALL

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Indie Bound

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

Website  Twitter   Goodreads  Instagram    

To celebrate the release for the book, Melissa Landers is offering one lucky winner a Starflight duology swag pack, complete with bookmarks and two signed mini posters! The giveaway is open internationally. Due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate.

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Music Monday (14) Banks & LP

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana:

Recently, I revisited a few of my favorite songs that I haven’t listened to in a really long time. The first is Beggin for Thread by Banks. I first heard about Banks back in 2014 and haven’t really listened to too much of her music since. However, I recall really being a fan of Beggin for Thread and recently, I’ve gone back to the song several times and remember why I enjoyed listening to it in the first place.

Another favorite song of mine that I wanted to share was Night Like This by LP. Night Like This is another one of the songs that initially introduced me to the musician, which coincidently enough was also back in 2014. Lost on You is another great song by LP. I like the normal version as well as the live session.

Have you recently listened to any songs that are old (possibly previously forgotten) favorites?

The Friday 56 (92) & Book Beginnings: The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

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

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Magic lives in our darkest corners...

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known. Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act. Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants…and how to take it. But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire...

Beginning: "The Ala had gone to the library in search of hope."

56: "Caius stretched, spine popping. When he tilted his head back, he could see the mural painted on the library's ceiling. It depicted the tale of some long-forgotten battle, colors faded as surely as the memory of the heroes who'd fought in it."

Comments: Eh, this one was just okay for me. I was pretty excited for The Girl at Midnight but just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. However, I still think the opening sentence is great. It was a pretty interesting place to start the story. 

What are you reading this week?

Review: Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood

Title: Bliss
Author: Kathryn Littlewood
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: The Inkhouse; February 14, 2012

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Kathryn Littlewood’s culinary caper blends rich emotional flavor with truly magical wit, yielding one heaping portion of hilarious family adventure...

Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke—an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles and Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke under lock and whisk-shaped key while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. “Aunt” Lily rides a motorcycle, wears purple sequins, and whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, non-magical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily—a lot less fun. So Rose and her siblings experiment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke. A few Love Muffins and a few dozen Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for a very long time. I’ve known about it since it came out back in 2012 and always thought the premise of a magical backery sounded like an interesting idea. It wasn’t until recently that I finally read the book and can firmly say that while Bliss had some brilliant moments, it was more of an average read for me. 

There was nothing inherently bad about the story. My main problem, my one complaint, is that there were some scenes that I just didn’t like. Other than that, I read the book in just a couple of hours. For the most part I liked the story, characters, and magic. There were a lot of pretty neat details that led to some really...uh...interesting situations that were produced by magical baking mishaps. What I liked most about this book was how the magic worked as an ingredient for cooking. The prologue of Bliss opens with lightning being folded into batter, which I thought was pretty cool. Another thing that appealed to me was the bakery. I love to bake, and knowing that a lot of cooking gets done in Bliss is what originally drew me to this book.

Rosemary, the main character, felt like she was underappreciated, and I could agree with that. Littlewood took the time to show some of the things Rosemary was tasked with, which I appreciated because it provided a reason for why the character was feeling that way. I also liked Rosemary's siblings—Parsley, Sage, and Thyme. 

Overall, Bliss wasn't half bad. The end of the story was kind of a cliffhanger. Since I already have the second book on my shelf, I will likely read it just to see how the situation is resolved.

Music Monday (13) MØ, The 1975, & Kerli

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Adri:

After Disney’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland came out—Kerli sang Tea Party for the movie—Breana and I continued to follow her. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to feature Kerli on Music Monday!

For my first pick, I choose Feral Hearts. Not only is it the first Kerli song I’ve listened to in a while, but I really loved the music video. Even thought I found the visuals enchanting, after watching the behind the scenes I admired the video even more. I really like the meaning and inspiration behind each area and outfit. In addition, I loved seeing how each look came together.

(p.s. also check out the Sacred Forest Session of Feral Hearts HERE)

One of Kerli's newer songs includes Spirit Animal. I can’t really explain it, but I’m really in love with it. I can only hope that there’ll be a music video for it!

Breana:

My first pick this week is Final Song by MØ. The first time I heard of MØ was when I was watching the Coachella livestream back in 2015, and happened to catch her performance. Before then, I’d never actually heard of her, but her live performance really impressed me. Since then, I’ve followed her music.

One of the reasons why I love Final Song is the catchy beat. It’s a nice song, and the music video is kind of simple but also awesome. I especially like the scenery in the background.

My second pick is The Sound by The 1975. I haven’t listened to a lot of music by The 1975—not yet anyway, but I plan to fix that soon. The Sound is the song that introduced me to their music. I happened to hear the song while listening to one of my favorite google music channels, and instantly loved the sound of it.

Have you ever discovered a group while watching a TV show, movie, or a Coachella livestream?