'Waiting On' Wednesday (59): The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

**Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

Expected Publication Date: September 2nd 2013

Publisher: Chicken House Ltd

From Goodreads:

Emily’s dad is accused of murdering a teenage girl. Emily is sure he is innocent, but what happened that night in the woods behind their house where she used to play as a child? Determined to find out, she seeks out Damon Hillary the enigmatic boyfriend of the murdered girl. He also knows these woods. Maybe they could help each other. But he’s got secrets of his own about games that are played in the dark.

A new psychological thriller from the award-winning and bestselling author of STOLEN and FLYAWAY.

Why I Can't Wait: I am so very intrigued! I hope this book is at thrilling as it sounds. I love mystery and suspense and I hear great things about this author, though I have yet to check out her work myself. I'm a little nervous about these games the murdered girl's boyfriend likes to play in the dark... EEK!

Top Ten Tuesday (12): At the Top of My Summer TBR List

**Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and Bookish.**


The months in the summer have fewer releases on my TBR, thank goodness, so the plan is to use this time and read a few books off my shelf. I also tend to crave contemporary fiction in the summer so you'll see a lot of that in my list as well!

Must-Read Summer/Fall ARCs

-Belladonna (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #2) by Fiona Paul Ahh! Finally! This will be read this week! Can't wait for more Falco!
-Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young LOVE these authors! Can't wait to see what they do together.
-How to Love by Katie Cotugno This isn't out until October but I won't be able to wait that long!

-Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell I was so in love with her last book, Eleanor & Park and this one sounds perfect for me!
-Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves Another case of loving her last book, which was On the Island. Plus, it sounds amazing too!
-All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill For my time-travel fix! Been crazy excited to read this!

Must-Reads that Have Been (Sadly) Gathering Dust

-Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Do I really have to explain why? lol I need to jump on board the bandwagon and FINALLY check this series out!
-Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson Two words: Road trip!
-A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger I adore this author's writing and can't believe I've put this one off so long.

-Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson Another by this author!
-Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone One of my most anticipated reads last year! *sigh* It's a travesty how long it's been sitting on my shelf, unread.
-Storm by Brigid Kemmerer I need to meet these boys!



Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know I went over. Don't I always? I really hope I can stick to this. I was doing so good keeping to my list and cranking out a couple reads really fast, for me, but then I got sick and unable to read for a few days and it all went to shit. lol *fingers crossed* What are you planning to read this summer? Links if you got 'em!

Review: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

Title: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Publisher: Self-Pub
Date: December 13th 2012
Source: Bought

From Goodreads:

There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.

When the New Adult craze took over, I added a bunch of great sounding books with hot covers to my TBR and even took advantage of some sales and went ahead and bought a few. And there they sat... So now that it's summer and I'm in a huge Contemporary mood, I'm hoping to knock a few off my list. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden definitely made the list of must reads with a totally hot cover and awesome reviews.

But did I fall in love like so many others? Not completely. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the read on a whole and absolutely plan to read the sequel. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages, anxious to see what would happen next. I easily could have finished this off in a day if I hadn't become sick and unable to read for a few days when I had only 35 pages left (and it killed me to have to wait).

Callie is overcoming a serious trauma that happened on her 12th birthday, which has left her very withdrawn from others. Before she leaves for college she pops into a party to find her brother and just so happens upon an altercation between Kayden and his father. Fast forward 4 months and these two are reunited at college. Now, Callie had put up a lot of walls with everyone, including her family, so I was a little thrown off with just how close she had become with her new BFF Seth in just a short 4 months time. I loved their friendship and how they would push each other to try new things but at the same time it sort of felt too convenient in certain ways. All those things she feared so much, Seth was able to break through in only a few months where no one else came remotely close in years? I don't know. It bugged me a teeny tiny bit.

The altercation with Kayden and his father in the Prologue also threw me off. Kayden's father is a horrible guy who secretly abuses his kids, but a well respected man in the community who would be stupid enough to severely beat up their own 18 year old at a party at their house, surrounded by family and friends? Hey, maybe it happens but it seemed implausible to me and felt more like a tactic to setup later events. The dad had obviously been hiding this side of himself for years and years and he was really going at Kayden in this instance. But perhaps this was the start of a downward spiral for the father where he just didn't care anymore and I'm just nitpicking, but at the time that's how I felt as I was reading.

I think that can be the problem you run into with some issue books. Sometimes it can just feel very cliche and like too much added drama unless it is executed right with great writing and characters to fall in love with. And while I enjoyed the read and became invested, there just wasn't enough of that spark I was hoping for.

Like I said before, I did like Seth and Callie's friendship despite how speedy it felt. I also liked Kayden's friendship with Luke. I feel like there is more to explore with Luke that we have not seen yet and I do hope that just maybe we'll see that in the next installment. And of course there is the romance between Callie and Kayden. They are quite perfect for each other. Just when we touch upon the real romance of their love story, WE ARE LEFT WITH AN EVIL CLIFFHANGER! Yes, shouty caps evil! So actually, I'm glad I waited until now to read this book because I don't have to wait as long for the sequel.

The Rochester Teen Book Festival 2013 - Recap Two + Giveaway

On May 18th, I attended the Rochester Teen Book Festival! A few weeks ago I gave you part one of my recap on the annual event. I apologize for taking so long in getting this part up as well. But here it is! The conclusion to my time at the event this year!

So in Recap One I told you about my first two sessions, this time around I'll talk about my last two sessions and the autographs! So. Many. Autographs!

Third Session: Kate Brian

Kate Brian reading from Shadowlands

• Okay so I feel totally dumb for not knowing this before, but Kate Brian is a pseudonym! Her real name is Kieran Scott and she has a slew of other books, and ones I've seen around and never realized were by the same person! lol Here's the Goodreads link to her profile
• She talked a lot about her pen name and its marketing strategy, which I found really fascinating because I honestly didn't know why they were so popular. But basically Brian was an ideal last name because it would be situated between two popular authors. Huh. Pretty ingenious, really.
• She says 95% of a writer's existence is being alone. Writers have to be okay with solidarity and be able to take rejection.
• She's an avid outliner and it can take a week or two. She feels it's the hardest part and can be taxing.
• Most of what she gets down on the first day of writing is dialogue because the characters are talking in her head. The second day is adding the atmosphere, etc.
• She always wanted to explore a sister relationship so she does so in Shadowlands.
• Hereafter (Shadowlands #2) was a 6 revisions book and it is still tough for her to look at it.

She talked a lot about her early books and I wish I had taken more notes but I really was just listening. I was surprised to learn how much say an editor has in the direction a book can take. I learned a lot from her session, which I love. :)

Session Four: Alexandra Bracken & Robin LaFevers

~Alexandra Bracken~

• Wrote a lot on and off in Middle School and High School. Wrote some fanfiction. (I love learning about authors who have roots in fanfic)
• The drawback to being published so young was that it was difficult to keep up with revisions during finals.
• Her peak writing hours tend to be from 12am-4am.
• Never Fade is the first sequel she has ever written so it almost felt like she was writing fanfiction. (I can totally see that. lol)
• She brainstorms for months, writing things out in notebooks. She then outlines loosely. She likes to know exactly what happens at the end and then builds to it. 
• Romantic scenes are harder because you can fall into cliches and you have to make it believable. Action scenes are easier.

~Robin LaFevers~

• Early on, everyone tried to talk her out of writing. Reading children's books to her kids helped her decide to go back to it.
• You don't get as much creative freedom when you are in the stages of writing with deadlines. It's important to give yourself time to try different things and see what you click with before that.
• Says 80% of writing is thinking  of how things get put together.
• Deadlines put a crimp in the enjoyment of writing.
• She is the Queen of Multiple Drafts. Grave Mercy had 17 drafts over the 5-6 years she was writing it. The sequel, Dark Triumph, has 7 drafts in 10 months of writing.
• LOVES graph paper. Uses it a lot to chart things out, even fight scenes!
• She's not so sure writers choose to write, it's just something they end up having to do. ( I love that!)

I wish I had a pic to share but for some reason these two authors were put in a small classroom with teeny tiny desks squished together. There was barely room to move.  Both authors by this point in the day were sitting down in the front, which I don't blame them for, I was already exhausted, but I couldn't see them for most of it from where I was sitting. I was really surprised they were put in this location, to be honest. :(

Autographing Session

I purposely scheduled my day around being as close to the main gym, where the autographing session was taking place, as possible. Last year, I waited in line for 1 author for almost an hour. I was freaked I would not have enough time for everyone this year. This is the main reason I brought my mom along. If not for her, I probably would not have had the chance to get so many amazing signatures. So I wanted to jump in line as fast as possible.

First up was Lauren DeStefano, who sadly was not there due to her not feeling well. Luckily someone was there to take the books to her and get them signed for us. I'm so glad for that because she was one of the main people I was excited for and I had a total of 6 books for her to sign. lol But that went fast and we were able to move right on to the next line!

Basically what we did is divide and conquer. I gave her a few books to go get signed in the shorter lines while I waited in the longer. Towards the end I realized my mistake in doing so as my mom was seeing way more authors than I was. At one point towards the end, we still had Lisa McMann and David Levithan to see and they had some of the longest lines left. So I sent my mom to the David Levithan line because it was longer, with the intentions of jumping back over when I was done in my line. But then his line moved faster! My mom ended up next when I still had a a couple girls in front of me, stuck. Major bummer.  *sigh* But at least I got the signed books.

It was great to have the suitcases but it was also a pain in the ass. Even though I love how many authors were there, it would be nice for me to not have so many books to get signed. We'll see how that goes for next year. lol

But I did see some wonderful authors! Kate Brian picked up my ARC of Hereafter, which I had just gotten a few days before, and said it was the first time she had actually seen one in person! And I did get a few of my ARCs signed to giveaway to you guys. More on that at the end.

As I was taking pics of my signed books I realized there were way too many to show you them all so here are just a few:

Basically all of this was signed:

I have 3 signed ARCs to give away at some point but I'm going to divvy them up to make sure they go to homes that definitely want each specific book. So first up: A signed ARC of The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken!

Giveaway Rules:
1. Giveaway is US ONLY!
2. Must be at least 13 years old to enter.
3. Winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.
4. I am not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged items. Prize will be mailed by Publisher.
5. Please follow the entry directions in the rafflecopter. (If you have any questions on how to enter, please ask!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Oh! Before I leave! I've already started my weekly stalking of the website to see which authors will be there next year and EEP! Already excited! Leigh Bardugo and Alexandra Coutts are just a couple of the names mentioned! Better get off my ass and finally read Shadow and Bone this summer, huh? :)

*PHEW* That was a long post. Are you still with me? lol Thanks for staying tuned and making it til the end! :)

Review: Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

Title: Indelible
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: July 30th 2013
Source: ARC Tour - Wastepaper Prose & Page Turners Blog

From Goodreads:

Some things are permanent.

Indelible.

And they cannot be changed back.

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

THE TWIXT

Okay I admit, being the cover whore I am, Indelible first was added to my TBR for the gorgeous cover. I mean, look at it! *pets pretty cover* Imagine my shock and joy when I delved further and discover a book with a complex otherworld filled with magic and monsters!

We start out with our main character Joy in this awesome sounding Carousel club where she gets attacked by some strange looking guy and his sister, in the eye nonetheless, and is now experiencing strange occurrences. Creepy scratches at the window in the middle of the night and notes left in her locker that make no sense mentioning someone named Ink are just some of the odd things happening. Turns out Ink is the boy from the club, and he has somehow marked her as his when he discovered she had the Sight, meaning she is able to see creatures from his world. In order to keep them both safe, they must pretend they are together or risk death.

We then take a trip of learning about the Twixt and just what it is that Indelible Ink does as a Scribe, as well as his 'sister' Invisible Inq. This was all pretty interesting and cool, especially how they travel through space and time with a slice in the air with a certain tool. I must admit, I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. It was terribly complex for my simple mind, but so descriptive and wonderfully written at the same time.

Joy also find herself constantly in trouble and getting attacked by these creatures and man, a few moments were chill inducing. The monsters are so vividly described, I felt like they could come out and jump at me! This is absolutely the movie-in-your-head type of book!

But what I loved most about the book was probably the scenes between Joy and Ink. Since Ink is not human, he's unfamiliar with certain senses and feelings as well as some detailed physical features, like the exact curve of an ear, or the knuckles of your fingers, a belly button even. His own features are basic and perfect with no blemishes or definition, like he was sculpted out of clay. I know this sounds weird but honestly, it was so interesting and almost beautiful to read.


     They were both fascinated: Ink touching her, Joy feeling him, his fingers exploring the slope of her face, guided by the slight dip at her temple. His fingertips tickled the edge of her hair, brushing the last tiny darts of her eyebrow, sliding against them as if smoothing each one into place. She tipped her chin back. 
     He was reading her like Braille.


I seriously fell in love with Ink. I wish we would have gotten more of him and more relationship building. I don't know that I would call this a case of insta-love, but I would have liked a bit more time for the relationship to flourish because it was such a huge part of the plot and why they were in this together.

Other little pet peeves, Joy's transition from fear of what was happening to her to acceptance with almost a longing and eagerness to be more involved was a tad speedy for my liking. Joy has family issues sprinkled into the storyline as well which is a factor in why she was so open to this new life, but for some reason it bugged me a little.

 Indelible is the first book in the Twixt series and though it wrapped up quite nice for a first novel, I am anxious for more Ink in the next installment! If you are looking for something unique and fresh, I'd recommend this one!

And because I just have to share one more passage:


     She felt his cheek and the edge of his jaw on her chin. The flush of her skin echoed on his. The sweep of his eyelash brushing her face. She strained to feel the tips of his hair, the nonexistent scratch of his never-shaven face. All the while, she watched their fingers stretch along one another's wrists, afraid to look away and admit what was happening. What was touching. What they wanted.
     It became too much. Joy squeezed his hand. Looked in his eyes.
     It was as if he were surprised to see her.
     "I can feel you," he whispered.
     She nodded. "I know."
     He tapped his chest. "Here."
     Joy nodded again and said, "I know." Her lips were close. She could taste whispers of him and rain.
     "We are here," she whispered, feeling the kiss before it happened. "We are both very, very here."

(Quotes are taken from an ARC and may differ from final copy)

'Waiting On' Wednesday (58): Tandem by Anna Jarzab

**Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Tandem by Anna Jarzab

Expected Publication Date: October 8th 2013

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:

Everything repeats.
You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds. Many lives--infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.

Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real--until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.

To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love--one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she's someone she's not.

The first book in the Many-Worlds Trilogy, Tandem is a riveting saga of love and betrayal set in parallel universes in which nothing--and no one--is what it seems.

Why I Can't Wait: Parallel worlds y'all! So you know I'm going to be all up on this book! And this one sounds to have a great unique spin. I'm totally in love with the cover too. Pretty, pretty colors!

Teaser Tuesday (28): Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Publication Date: August 15th 2013 by Dial

From Goodreads:

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

The Teasers:

   I spun around, and there they were. Two boys, one girl. Standing in a line, ten feet behind me. They were holding the sharpened twigs. Staring at me.
   "You don't have any stakes," the girl said. "The Devil is going to get you."
   She took a step closer and the other kids followed. We stood face-to-face, not moving, just staring. A breeze lifted my hair as it brushed past my cheek. The salty wind was soft, but cold. Cold. Like swimming in the sea at night. Like clammy fingers crawling up your neck.
   I shivered.
   "Do you feel him?" the girl asked. "The Devil?"
   I nodded.
   "You'd better run," she said.     pg. 97

And...

River's magic might have been bad, but it felt . . . good.     pg. 335

(These quotes have been taken from an ARC and may differ from the final copy.)

I finished this one up a few weeks ago and holy shit, totally creeptastic!