Cover Reveal: Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

We're absolutely ecstatic to be a part of Fireblood's cover reveal! The cover is absolutely lovely. So without further ado, here it is:

Title: Fireblood (Fireblood #1)

Author: Trisha Wolfe

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Publication date: 2013

To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

About the author:

I’m the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, November 2013. My published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. I’ve written four books in the past two years, and I’m currently working on a new YA Sci-Fi project.

I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre.  Also a proud  member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies.

And I’m also a business owner, partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.

Check out my website TrishaWolfe.com for more on my books and short stories. Follow me on Twitter @TrishWolfe 

My thoughts:

I think that it's lovely! I love the scenery behind them. And oh my, the way the guy is looking at her! Can I say smitten, or what?! I'm really excited to read this! The synopsis is really intriguing and I really need to brush up o my YA Sci-Fi novels, so I can't wait to read it!

Thanks to YA Bound for including in the reveal! :)

Feature and Follow Friday (6)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read! :)

Q: What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

A: I'm not really a fan of the Matched series. The story didn't really appeal to me, but I guess it depends on the person...

Leave a link to your Feature and Follow Friday post and we'll check it out!

Bookish Haikus

I know this is pretty random, but we're currently learning the Types of Poetry in English class and we were discussing about Haikus and I couldn't help but be inspired, so I decided to write Haikus dedicated to a few YA novels. (I apologize in advance if they aren't too good since I am a beginner after all. I'm no Basho. LOL) I hope you enjoy them! :) (Click the images for their Goodreads page.)

Hope you liked them! :)

And yes, if you're wondering, I did write them during class. I'm such a rebel. (Not really...)

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Waiting on Wednesday/s are hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine in which you choose a book or books that you're excited and waiting for.

This week's Waiting on Wednesday book is:

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2)

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Publication date: October 23rd' 2012

Pre-order the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

(Summary from Goodreads)

Why we're excited for this:

First off, can I just say? WHAT KIND OF SUMMARY IS THAT?! Are they trying to tease or kill us? I'll never understand... And I'm sure everyone who's read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is DYING to read this (and I mean everyone, even my mother is.) Okay, we all know the cliffhanger was evil but other than that, it's going to be so exciting to finally come to Michelle Hodkin's world of creepy craziness that we all loved and obsessed over. The first Mara Dyer book caught me hook, line and sinker and I'm absolutely positive that the next one will make me love Michelle Hodkin, Mara Dyer and oh god, Noah Shaw even more.

Leave a comment with your WoW post and we'll check it out! :)

Review: Purity by Jackson Pearce

Title: Purity

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication date: April 24th 2012

Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.

Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

I think saying that I'm a huge Jackson Pearce fan may be the biggest understatement of the year. I loved her Fairytale Retelling books (my review of Sisters Red is HERE) and I'm hoping to read As You Wish soon (hint: It's about genies.) But to be honest, I wasn't completely sold with Purity. Here's why:

Shelby as a real life person

Honestly? If Shelby were a real person, I would most likely have hunted her down and smacked her upside the head. I really didn't like most of the choices she made, the way she treated her virginity as something so easily disposed of. They even referred to it as just "getting laid" and she was pretty much cool with doing it whoever as long as they weren't carrying a disease or anything. I kind of didn't really understand what the urgency of losing her virginity was, especially since when did happen, it didn't really seem that exciting or "fun". Which leads me to wonder, did she want to lose it because she felt like she needed to find a loophole in her Promises or to experience what it feels like? I still don't know. I also didn't really like the way she treated other people, she was very judgemental towards others and there were some parts of the book where I really did feel like she was kind of a hypocrite.

While I didn't really like Shelby as a character, or a person for the matter, there were times when she did made me laugh and possibly cry a bit. I understand that there are times when we do get angry at God whenever really unfortunate and unfair things happen to us, so I got what she was going through. I felt really bad for Shelby when she lost her mother, it was very explicit in the book on how hard it was for her to live without her mother.

Friends are important

I really liked Shelby's friends. I appreciated Ruby's cookiness and Jonas' level-headedness.  I think that Jonas may be my favorite character in the book. Even though everyone did have flaws in the books, I felt like he was the most reasonable one out of everyone. I think the characters should've really listened to him more... kind of. Ruby and Jonas were a big part of the foundation of the novel because they were the ones who there for Shelby and even though there were conflicts, I felt that the book wouldn't be complete without these two.

Conflicts, Resolutions and things I learned

After reading this book, I really did see the values that our ingrained in us and just how important our parents really are. That even if you had either just a mother or a father, it'd never be enough without that counterpart. I really learned to appreciate my parents even more and be more thankful for them.

I felt that the issues about sex and religion in this book was properly touched upon and was really straight to the point and very real. I know that people do go through these things in real life and I feel like it was very commendable of Jackson Pearce to write about it. I just feel like she could've been a bit less abrasive about it. Though I will admit that Shelby was a good character/ actor for these issues because the things she's going are very relatable and will appeal to the people who have been through this or are going through this.

The End

I actually thought that this book would be a happy and light read but I was wrong. Jackson Pearce packages all these controversial issues into a poignant and at times, funny book that will really help you understand what people like Shelby are going through. We do see a growth, albeit a small one, in Shelby and I do feel that it was an improvement to who she was at the start of the book. I still think  that people should read this book and even though I didn't completely love it, I still learned a lot of from it and that's what I feel is important. Contemporary fans will really enjoy this book and for those who are still new to the genre, you should try this one out.

Rating: