I Get It Now: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Story time. I bought The Raven boys when it first came out in 2012. Actually, the story starts way before that. I was fangirling for this book before it was even released. I remember there was a preview that had been featured somewhere, it was like the first 30 pages? Well, I was obsessed! I tweeted and fangirled right there with the rest of the book community months in anticipation of the book. So when the book was actually released I ran off to the store (my aunt had told me she would buy me some books) and ripped it off the shelves and brought it back home with me. You would think the logical thing to do is read it, and to that I say, you are correct. But that's not what I did at all. A year later I attempted my first read of it. It didn't go so well, and then several times after that I attempted to read through it and nothing. This time I was so determined but I didn't go into it with any expectations. I picked it up one day and JUST READ.

Oh my goodness, I'm so glad I was able to get through it this time. I feel like it was the perfect time to read The Raven Boys because I ended up loving it (like I knew I would). I fell in love with the story. It's so strange, it has an almost dreamlike quality to it. The writing is fantastic and it created these images in my head, while I was reading, that took me places. I also didn't expect the story to be so uncomfortably creepy at times. There were moments when I was looking around my room making sure nothing else was lingering in the dark. I'm going to give this book huge props for being the first in an EXTREMELY long time to actually surprise me. I was shocked at this particular scene. There was no way for me to have guessed what happened and that's really a first in years. I was so shocked that I ran to Twitter and asked around to talk to someone that had already read The Raven Boys. I just needed to discuss the craziness with someone and that someone happened to be Sashana from @SheFierce1 on twitter.

The boys. Oh, the boys. I'm not sure who I love most, but I would probably say Ronan. He's complicated and special in his own way. There's just something about him that gives off this rude, I-couldn't-care-less attitude, but deep down he's probably the most caring out of all of them. It was also refreshing to see the inner workings of their friendships. They're all so unique and different that it just works. They're so close and several times during the story Blue emphasizes how in sync they are with each other. They understand each other without words, through looks and gestures. 

So I just want to say I GET IT NOW. I understand why everyone loses it over this series (or at least over this first book). I need to read the second one right now. Ronan is on the cover and that's all I need to know at the moment. Nothing else really matters. 

Spark Blog Tour: Top Ten with Holly Schindler + Giveaway

Title: Spark

Author: Holly Schindler
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication date: May 17, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary, Magical Realism
Source: Publisher

Pages: 304

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The local Avery Theater was just a run-down building to Quin—until her mother told her the tragic love story of Nick and Emma that played out on the theater’s stage all those years ago. Quin is convinced it’s the perfect story to rewrite for her drama class, but when she goes searching for more information, she makes a startling discovery—the Avery is rapidly regaining its former splendor and setting the stage for her classmates Dylan and Cass to relive Nick and Emma’s romance. Quin can see the spark between them, but i
t’s up to her to make sure her friends—and the Avery—can both be saved this time around.

Top Ten Reasons You Decided to Become an Author:

In many ways, I don’t feel like I decided to become an author—I feel like I always was an author. But here are my top 10 reasons why I think that is: 

1. Love of literature / reading – I was always an avid reader, starting with the new Little Golden Book I had to have every time I went grocery shopping with my mom. I think writing and reading just have to go hand-in- hand…and it often seems like natural progression for a reader to pick up their own pen. 

2. Love of creativity – I’ve just always gravitated toward the arts. Love visual art—I’m in the midst of wrapping my brain around digital art so that I can move toward doing my own illustrations. And I’m a giant music junkie—I play piano and guitar, and taught music lessons while drafting my earliest manuscripts. 

3. Love of words – This goes along with my love of literature and reading, but I love the power of words. I love the music they create when strung together a certain way. There’s definitely a rhythm to the written word. 

4. Love of having a voice – I was a really shy kid, and in some ways, I feel as though writing was kind of an early attempt to get my voice out there, but really, there’s something about storytelling that just FITS. 

5. Love of storytelling – This echoes #4, I know, but it’s true. There’s something about the craft of storytelling that feels like an integral part of me. 

6. Love of being able to be in someone else’s head – Fiction allows you to explore another person’s thoughts. You don’t often get that in other forms of entertainment—in a movie or on TV, you’re primarily watching characters navigate through a series of problems, but you rarely ever get inside them, hear their thoughts, experience their emotions. I love that fiction allows us all to literally walk in someone else’s shoes. 

7. Love of being able to connect with people – There’s a definite connection you feel as a reader to certain fictional characters. At times, we’ve all slowed down as we neared the end of a book we’ve been enjoying, because we don’t want to let that character go. I love being able to create characters that speak to readers in that way—that become friends of sorts. 

8. Love of being able to create a world – Even in realistic contemporary work, you have to do a bit of worldbuilding…but why stop there? As a fiction writer, you get to go to worlds that are completely of your own making…or travel back in time… 

9. Love of exploring scenarios I’ve never lived through – In realistic fiction, you get to daydream a bit, imagine what it’s like to be an athlete, to be a musician on the stage… 

10. Love the feeling of completion—There’s something almost euphoric about finishing an enormous job—like wrapping up a novel. It feels a little like it must crossing the finish line of a marathon. 

About Holly Schindler:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Author Newsletter

I’m a hybrid author of critically acclaimed traditionally published and Amazon bestselling independently published works for readers of all ages. My previous YAs (A BLUE SO DARK, PLAYING HURT, and FERAL) have received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, won silver and gold medals from ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year and the IPPY Awards, respectively, been featured on Booklist’s First Novels for Youth, School Library Journal’s “What’s Hot in YA,” and been selected as a PW Pick. 

Going hybrid means that I’ve been able to explore all sorts of new avenues—short fiction, sequels, I’m even going to be branching out into doing some illustrative work. Throughout 2016, I’m releasing one short story a month in the Forever Finley Short Story Cycle. The cycle begins with “Come December”: http://amzn.to/1oPioN5 

Also, in honor of SPARK’s release, I’m holding a sale on PLAY IT AGAIN, the sequel to my YA romance, PLAYING HURT. For a limited time, PLAY IT AGAIN is $.99: http://amzn.to/1qCNVCe 

3 Finished Copies of SPARK (US Only)

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Review: The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin

Title: The Nethergrim

Author: Matthew Jobin
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication date: April 08, 2014
Genre(s): Fantasy
Source: Publicist

Pages: 361

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The people of Moorvale put their faith in the legend: The knight Tristan and the wizard Vithric, in an epic battle, had defeated the evil Nethergrim.
That faith is shaken when livestock go missing, only to turn up as piles of bones. But it’s when a group of children disappear that they know for sure: The Nethergrim has returned.
Edmund’s brother is one of the missing, and Edmund knows he must do something to save his life. But what? Though a student of magic, he struggles to cast even the simplest spell.
Still, he and his friends swallow their fear and set out to battle an ancient evil whose powers none of them can imagine.

I'm not sure why there aren't more people discussing this book. If you're looking for a middle grade novel reminiscent of Harry Potter, loaded with action, friendship, and fantastic life lessons, The Nethergrim is the one you want to pick up next. I listened to parts of the audiobook along with reading my copy and even the narrator reminded me of the amazing narrator for the Harry Potter books. The accents were on point, each character was easily distinguished and the story flowed perfectly. 


Every single character was a delight to read about, even the villains. The three main characters, Katherine, Edmund, and Tom all bring their own unique touch to the story. Katherine is a boss. She takes the lead when necessary, isn't afraid to tell people when they're being silly, and she always stands up for the people she loves. As for Edmund, he had a lot of growing up to do in a short amount of time and I'm happy to say that you can definitely see the character growth by the end of the novel. All that aside, I think Tom was my favorite. He is just such a sensitive soul and an absolute sweetheart, but he fights for his friends like he was made for it.

The story itself is an interesting one. Basically the past and the present intertwine to provide two pieces of a puzzle. I think I loved the story from the past more than the current one and I am very eager to see if the author delves more into the characters from the legend in the second book. Although there was magic within this world I felt like there could have been more done with it, which from the way it ended, I also think will happen in the sequel. There were some twists that I didn't expect and some that I totally saw coming. I would say even though it's middle grade, adults will enjoy is just as much even if they guess the huge twist like I did. All I have to say now is thank God I won't have to wait at all since the sequel came out May 10th! 

Here is the trailer for the second book:

Don't forget to enter the giveaway I'm hosting over on Twitter!

Currently: Life Update and More!

Hello! I know it's been a while since I officially sat down to blog. Sure, you've seen posts here and there, but nothing consistent enough to satisfy my love for books and blogging. Today at work it just hit me how much I've missed it these past few months. This post is to update you a bit on what's been going on in my life, what I've been reading, what I've been watching, what I've been listening to, and what will be coming in the near future.

From January to April I studied my ass off for the GRE (that's the exam you have to take when you're going to apply to graduate school) and I FINALLY TOOK IT AND OMG WHAT A RELIEF. I can't tell you how incredible it felt to have that weight lifted off my shoulders. Guess what I did right after that four hour exam! If you guessed go to a bookstore, you're 100% correct. I also had to submit my graduate school application for my number one school by May 15th. You can imagine the stress I was under. But all that is officially over and I can relax (and by relax I mean anxiously wait to see if I was accepted or not).

Now that all that is over "can we get back to reading? Please. Yo."

The last book I read before my exam was Starflight, which I finished on February 29th and I took my exam on April 14th. All of March and almost all of April without reading a single book...my heart was heavy. Some of the things I've read since then:

    

I've only really read one full book since February, but I've started ALL THE BOOKS. Somehow I've fallen into a state where I want to read all the books, but I can't seem to get through anything. Below are some of the books I'm hoping to finish soon and you may or may not see reviews for these on here soon!

CURRENTLY READING

   

Please send all the good reading vibes so I can get through some of these. They're great and I'm really enjoying them, but I can't seem to sit myself down and actually get through any of them.

Music wise, if the above gif is any indication, I've become obsessed with Hamilton. Everything in my life somehow relates to it. I can't stop looking up cute drawings of the squad (Mulligan, Laurens, Hamilton and Lafayette). The good thing is that all of my friends have also fallen into this hole called Hamilton so I have more than enough people to freak out with me. We've even converted my friends brother and my other friends boyfriend. They were reluctant at first, but really who doesn't love Hamilton?

I recently watched Pulp Fiction for the first time. I don't have a lot to say because I don't want to anger a lot of people. I liked it enough, I didn't love it. Moving on, I watched Civil War this month, DUH! I don't care what anyone else says, SPIDER-MAN STOLE THE SHOW. I was incredibly skeptical because hello...Spider-Man looks and sounds like a baby in that trailer. But all was fine because he was hilarious and I can't wait for 2017. 

I also want to give a quick shout out to another movie that I've already seen twice this month:

It's about a deaf author living on her own who gets attacked by this man in a mask. This movie is so intense and will keep you at the edge of your seat at all times. You will root for the main character until the very end. Whatever that end may be.

Okay, so that's it! Now that I'm back I need book recommendations. What's your favorite book that has been released in the last two months?

Blog Tour: Heir to the Sky Interview With Amanda Sun + Giveaway

Hello! Today I am delighted to welcome Amanda Sun to the blog for an interview!

About Heir to the Sky:

As heir to a kingdom of floating continents, Kali has spent her life bound by limits—by her duties as a member of the royal family; by a forced betrothal to the son of a nobleman; and by the edge of the only world she’s ever known—a small island hovering above a monster-ridden earth, long since uninhabited by humans. She is the Eternal Flame of Hope for what’s left of mankind, the wick and the wax burning in service for her people, and for their revered Phoenix, whose magic keeps them aloft.

When Kali falls off the edge of her kingdom and miraculously survives, she is shocked to discover there are still humans on the earth. Determined to get home, Kali entrusts a rugged monster-hunter named Griffin to guide her across a world overrun by chimera, storm dragons, basilisks, and other terrifying beasts. But the more time she spends on earth, the more dark truths she begins to uncover about her home in the sky, and the more resolute she is to start burning for herself.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository

Interview

1. If you had to describe your book in 5 words how would you describe it? 

Video game in a book. Or, Final Fantasy meets YA novels. Or, floating lands and monster hunters. ^_^ 

2. The world in Heir to the Sky is a very interesting one. How did you come up with the idea of a continent floating in the sky? 

Thank you! I’ve always loved floating continents. I think the first time I saw one was in Chrono Trigger, back when I was a young gamer (and the only girl gamer I knew). Then in Final Fantasy VI, and in Studio Ghibli’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky. I started even dreaming about seeing them in the sky, with the roots and dirt crumbling off the bottoms of them as they hovered there like mysteries. I started to develop my own islands, with waterfalls and cities, and then I imagined what might keep them afloat, and what could survive up there. I imagined they were a last refuge of a monster-torn world. And then I wondered what would happen if someone fell off the edge down to that world. 

3. Out of all of your characters which one was the most fun to write, which one was the most difficult, and which one do you relate to the most? 

I have the most fun writing Griffin. He’s a monster hunter. He’s learned all kinds of cool survival skills like weaponry, cooking, trapping, and sewing. But despite everything he’s been through, he hasn’t lost his humanity. He’s powerless to change his past, and so he invests his whole heart in protecting others to try and make up the loss he never can. 

The most difficult character to write was probably Sayra. Unlike the other survivors who bravely fight on, she’s terrified and almost without hope. She doesn’t have a big role in HEIR TO THE SKY, but she has an important one—that not everyone is equipped to fight life’s battles. I find her difficult to write because she reflects my own weaknesses and despair that are easily to slip into. 

The character I relate the most to is probably Kali. They both reflect part of me, but they also have their own struggles and strengths that I don’t have. I’d probably have a hard time getting my wits about me to survive and face monsters like Kali does, but I can relate a lot to her thoughts of how to be on her own, how to be happy, and how to best protect those she cares about. Plus she loves to read and is always in the library, so I can relate to that too. And her best friend Elisha was modeled on a couple of my best friends as well. 

4. When you write, do you listen to music or are there any must have snacks? 

Yes, definitely! There is a lot of food in the Paper Gods books, because food and its smells evokes a lot of strong memories for me. Likewise, I write a lot about food in HEIR TO THE SKY, and writing about food makes me hungry! I usually have snacks on hand like Pocky and Puccho, green tea candies, and of course chips or iced coffee. And for music, I listened to a lot of video game soundtracks while writing this book—Final Fantasy soundtracks, Skyrim and other Elder Scrolls games, Journey, Chrono Trigger, and Skyward Sword. 

5. I know you have a short story coming out in, Strangers Among Us: Tales of the Underdogs and Outcasts, can you tell us a little about it and the process writing a short story? How is it different or similar to writing a full length novel? 

Yes, and I’m so glad you mentioned it because I’m really excited about this story! It’s called “What Harm” and it’s about a boy who doesn’t speak and struggles with reality, but has a special gift with horses. He’s sold to a warlord, where he meets a schizophrenic girl and things take a dark and vengeful turn. It’s a story about revenge, and what we’re capable of, and who we really are, even if that turns out to be meek and harmless. Writing a short story is so different, because you have such a limited amount of time to get across the feelings you want to convey. Every word counts, and the changes in the characters are so fine and minute that you can’t quite put your finger on what’s happened. At least, that’s what I like to aim for. STRANGERS AMONG US is out this August and I hope you read and enjoy it! 

6. Are you currently working on any future projects? We're dying to know! 

Thanks! I’m currently writing two more short stories for anthologies, and I have two novels in the works, though mostly in the planning stages. At the moment I have my hands full with my baby daughter, Alice. ^_^ Both projects have lots of either Fantasy or Asian threads woven through them, though, so I’m sure they’ll feel familiar when I’m ready to announce more. I hope you look forward to them! ^_^

Thank you for being on the blog today!

ABOUT AMANDA SUN

I’m a YA author and proud Nerdfighter. I was born in Deep River, Canada, a very small town without traffic lights or buses, and where stranger safety is comprised of what to do if you see a bear—or skunk. I started reading fantasy novels at 4 and writing as soon as I could hold a pencil. Hopefully my work’s improved since then.

​In university I took English, Linguistics, and Asian History, before settling into Archaeology, because I loved learning about the cultures and stories of ancient people. Of course, I didn’t actually become an archaeologist—I have an intense fear of spiders. I prefer unearthing fascinating stories in the safety of my living room.

​The Paper Gods is inspired by my time living in Osaka and travelling throughout Japan. That and watching far too many J-Dramas. I currently live in Toronto with my husband and daughter. When I’m not writing, I’m devouring YA books, knitting nerdy things like Companion Cubes and Triforce mitts, and making elaborate cosplays for anime cons.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Blog Tour: Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend by Alan Cumyn Playlist + Giveaway

Title: Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend

Author: Alan Cumyn
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication date: March 22, 2016
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: From publisher

Pages: 304

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Prepare to be blown away—or rather, carried away on huge muscular wings—by this blissfully outlandish, bracingly-smart, tour de force about a teen who has to come to terms with relinquishing control for the first time as she falls for the hot new…pterodactyl…at school. After all, everybody wants him! Sheils is very pleased with her perfectly controlled life (controlling others while she’s at it). She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and she even has a loving boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for? But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him—something primal—that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around. Even Sheils, the seemingly perfect self-confident girl that she is, can’t keep her mind off of him, despite her doting boyfriend and despite the fact that Pyke immediately starts dating Jocelyn, the school’s fastest runner who Sheils has always discounted as a nobody. Pyke, hugely popular in a school whose motto is to embrace differences, is asked to join a band, and when his band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his preternatural shrieking music sends everyone into a literal frenzy. No one can remember what happened the next day, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done something with her boyfriend that she shouldn’t have. Who’s in control now? Hilarious and relatable (despite the dinosaur), Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend is about a teen who must come to terms with not being in control of all things at all times, break free of her mundane life, discover who her true self is, and, oh, finding out that going primal isn’t always a bad thing

How insane does this book sound? I need a playlist to go with that story and today we have Alan Cumyn, the author of Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend here to help set the musical mood. These are the five songs Alan chose to represent Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend!

1. "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie – Pyke, the pterodactyl, gets everybody in a whirl

2. "Extraordinary Machine" by Fiona Apple – what's playing in the subconscious of Vista View High's Student Body Chair Shiels Krane

3. "Wild Thing" as performed by Animal, of the Muppets – the drumbeat to the whole book 

4. "Love Hurts", the Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris version – for the breakup of Shiels and her near-perfect boyfriend, Sheldon Myers 

5. "I'm Alive" by the Screaming Iguanas of Love -- gotta love the band name

Thank you, Alan! It was so much fun to have you on the blog today.

ABOUT ALAN CUMYN:

Alan Cumyn is the author of twelve wide-ranging and often wildly different novels. A two-time winner of the Ottawa Book Award, he has also had work shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award, the Giller Prize, and the Trillium Award. He teaches through the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a past Chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada. He lives in Ontario, Canada.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Sunday Street Team: Liars and Losers Like Us by Ami Allen-Vath (Favorite Quotes + GIVEAWAY)

I am so excited to be part of Nori's Sunday Street Team today and to discuss my favorite quotes of Liars and Losers Like Us by Ami Allen-Vath! Don't forget to enter the giveaway down below.

Title: Liars and Losers Like Us

Author: Ami Allen-Vath

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publication: March 15th, 2016

Goodreads Summary: 

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Keep calm and make it to prom night—without a legit panic attack.

For seventeen-year-old Bree Hughes, it’s easier said than done when gossip, grief, and the opportunity to fail at love are practically high-fiving her in the hallways of Belmont High.

When Bree’s crush, Sean Mills, gives her his phone number, she can’t even leave a voicemail without sounding like a freak. Then she’s asked to be on Prom Court because Maisey Morgan, the school outcast nominated as a joke, declined. She apologizes to Maisey, but it’s too late. After years of torment and an ugly secret shared with their class’s cruel Pageant Queen, Maisey commits suicide. Bree is left with a lot of regret…and a revealing letter with a final request.

With Sean by her side, Bree navigates through her guilt, her parents’ divorce, and all the Prom Court drama. But when a cheating-love-triangle secret hits the fan after a night of sex, drinks, and video games, she’s left with new information about Sean and the class Pageant Queen. Bree must now speak up or stay silent. If she lets fear be her guide, she’ll lose her first love, and head to prom to avenge the death of the school outcast—as a party of one.

My Favorite Quotes:

"If I love you as much as I do, the pain will be greater, the loss more vast."

"Maybe I just got so mad because I was scared. Scared of loving someone and them loving me back and everything that means."

"Things happen that change you. Life happens. Other people happen. But we have choices. You can become someone bigger and better than the evil you've been running from. In the face of adversity, we can become giants. We can not only survive, but overcome."

"Don't just tell yourself to calm down and breathe. Try not to put so much energy into pushing away the fears and anxieties. Acknowledge them and allow yourself a moment or however long you need with those feelings. Do your best to take longer, slower breaths. Keep breathing, and keep going."

"We're all too busy making sure we're moving up. So don't think any one person up here is better than you. We act like we've got our shit together, but we don't. We're faking it. Just like you guys. You're liars and losers like us."

And there we have it, folks! My favorite quotes from Liars and Losers Like Us! Make sure to grab your copy on March 15th when it hits the shelves.

About the Author:

Ami Allen-Vath is a YA author living and writing along the shores of New Jersey. She loves great and terrible TV, ice cream, books, and vacations. Ami loathes cilantro, live birds, and when guys do cartoon impressions. Lars and Losers Like Us is her first novel.

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