Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Coming 06/19/12
BURN MARK
by Laura Powell
ISBN-13: 978-1408815229
Bloomsbury, 416 pages.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

Glory is from a family of witches and lives beyond the law. She is desperate to develop her powers and become a witch herself. 

Lucas is the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition - the witches' mortal enemy - and his privileged life is very different to the forbidden world that he lives alongside. 

And then on the same day, it hits them both. Glory and Lucas develop the Fae - the mark of the witch. In one fell stroke, their lives are inextricably bound together, whether they like it or not ...

I am loving the cover for Burn Mark! I know we aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover- but I usually do. I'm so ashamed. But in all honesty, a cover sets the tone for what the reader can expect inside- or at least that's the way it should be. I've read amazing books that have had covers that aren't the best, and too many books that were all cover and no substance. I just finished Ashfall by Mike Mullen- and that book cover and synopsis do not do the contents of that book any justice, it blew my mind like a supervolcano. As for Burn Mark, I'm very eager to read it, especially after reading Born Wicked and Dragonswood that both seriously left me in the mood for more books on witches. 

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson Cover Reveal!

09/18/12

CROWN OF EMBERS
Girl of Fire and Thorns, Book Two
by Rae Carson
ISBN-13: 978-0062026514
Greenwillow Books, 400pages.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny. 

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone’s power. That is not all she finds.

A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy. 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns and The Scorpio Races were- in my very humble opinion- the Best Books of 2011. My mind melted when I read them, I couldn't think of anything else but them for weeks after having read them. 

I'm so very excited for Crown of Embers, aside from the amazing Elisa, I need to have some more Lord Hector, who had few scenes, but each one just shone off the page.  And since we only got to see peeks inside his armor, I'm so curious to see if we will see more of what's behind the curtain.

So Beautiful! Cover Reveal of Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo?

06/05/12
SHADOW and BONE
The Grisha, Book One
by Leigh Bardugo
ISBN-13: 978-0805094596
Holt Children's, 368 pages.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads
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Inspired by Tsarist Russia, THE GRISHA brings to life a fantasy world of superstition and science, saints and samovars, in which a lonely refugee must leave behind her best friend- and first love- to save her country from the growing darkness of the Unsea. But first she must contend with the dangerous and decadent world of the kingdom’s magical elite and their powerful leader, a creature of dark charm and deadly ambition. 


Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, all she’s ever been able to rely on is her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’ve been sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. 

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. She is torn from everything she knows and whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes that she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the Sun Summoner. Only her power can destroy the Fold. Overwhelmed by luxury, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to keep her wits about her without Mal by her side. 

But nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her mastery of her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha—and the secrets of her heart.


I WAAAAANT this book!  Check out this awesome picture of the map of Ravka, the amazing world created by Leigh Bardugo. Illustrated by Keith Thompson who (as you may recognize by his work) drew the brilliant artwork for Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series.

More Lovely New Book Covers!

08/28/12

DEFIANCE
Defiance, Book One
Previously Listed as: The Courier's Daughter
by C.J. Redwine
ISBN-13: 978-0062117182
Balzer + Bray, 416 pages.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads
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Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

10/09/12

THE UNFAILING LIGHT

The Katerina Tilogy, Book Two

by Robin Bridges

ISBN-13: 978-0385740241

Delacorte BYR, 400 pages.

Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

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Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

05/22/12

CHANGELING
The Order of Darkness, Book One
by Philippa Gregory

ISBN-13: 978-1442453449

Simon Pulse, 256 pages.

Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

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Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of the first-ever teen series from #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl. 

The year is 1453. Eighteen-year-old Luca De Vere is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days.

Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape.

Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.

The first in a series, this epic and richly detailed drama is grounded in historical communities and their mythic beliefs. Philippa Gregory’s trademark touch deftly brings the past—and its salacious scandals—vividly and disturbingly to life.





11/08/12
ELEMENTAL
by Antony John
Dial
Goodreads
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A lost colony is reborn in this heart-pounding fantasy adventure set in the near future . . .

Sixteen-year-old Thomas has always been an outsider. The first child born without the power of an Element—earth, water, wind or fire—he has little to offer his tiny, remote Outer Banks colony. Or so the Guardians would have him believe.

In the wake of an unforeseen storm, desperate pirates kidnap the Guardians, intent on claiming the island as their own. Caught between the plague-ridden mainland and the advancing pirates, Thomas and his friends fight for survival in the battered remains of a mysterious abandoned settlement. But the secrets they unearth will turn Thomas’ world upside-down, and bring to light not only a treacherous past but also a future more dangerous than he can possibly imagine.

10/02/12
SUBURBAN STRANGE
Suburban Strange, Book One
by Nathan Kotecki
ISBN-13: 978-0547729961
Houghton Mifflin Books for CH, 368 pages.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads
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Shy Celia Balaustine is new to Suburban High, but a mysterious group of sophomores called the Rosary has befriended her. Friends aside, Celia soon discovers something is not quite right at Suburban. Girls at the school begin having near-fatal accidents on the eve of their sixteenth birthdays. Who is causing the accidents, and why? As Celia’s own birthday approaches, she is inexorably drawn into an underground conflict between good and evil—the Kind and the Unkind—that bubbles beneath Suburban High. Plentiful references to music and art—along with the intriguing underworld mythology—make this supernatural series debut a page-turner.

08/01/12

ANASTASIA FOREVER

Dreaming Anastasia, Book Three

by Joy Preble

ISBN-13: 978-1402268755

Sourcebooks, 304 pages.

Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

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Anne, having survived Baba Yaga's forest twice, finds herself bound by the witch to undertake a journey into past, present, and future that will determine her destiny - and that of everyone she loves.

Lovely New Book Covers!

09/11/12
HANGING BY A THREAD
by Sophie Littlefield
ISBN-13: 978-0385741040
Delacorte BYR, 288 pages.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads
Read an excerpt here!
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Summer is the best part of the year in Winston, California, and the Fourth of July is the highlight of the season. But the perfect town Clare remembers has changed, and everyone is praying that this summer will be different from the last two—that this year's Fourth of July festival won't see one of their own vanish without a trace, leaving no leads and no suspects. The media are in a frenzy predicting a third disappearance, but the town depends on tourist dollars, so the residents of Winston are trying desperately to pretend nothing's wrong.

And they're not the only ones hiding something.

Clare, a seamstress who redesigns vintage clothing, has been blessed—or perhaps cursed—with a gift: she can see people's pasts when she touches their clothes. When she stumbles across a denim jacket that once belonged to Amanda Stavros, last year's Fourth of July victim, Clare sees her perfect town begin to come apart at the seams.

In a town where appearance means everything, how deep beneath the surface will Clare dig to uncover a murderer?

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10/09/12

TIME BETWEEN US
by Tamara Ireland Stone

ISBN-13: 978-1423159568

Hyperion, 384 pages.

Amazon, B&N,  Goodreads

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An ambitious sixteen-year-old feels trapped in her Midwestern town until she meets a seventeen-year-old time traveler who can hold her hands and take her anywhere she wants to go at the speed of thought. 

Anna Greene was never supposed to meet Bennett Cooper. Why would she? She's a sixteen-year-old in 1995 with big dreams of traveling the world after high school. Bennett is a seventeen-year-old living in 2012 San Francisco and figuring out how to manage a gift that allows him to travel through time and space—an extraordinary talent that has its perks, but also drives a rift between him and those he loves.

When a minor lapse in judgment turns into a life-changing incident, Bennett finds himself in Anna’s world. They can’t help but fall in love, even though they might be dooming themselves to heartbreak. After all, no matter how much Bennett wants to stay in 1995, they both know that time will inevitably knock him right back where he belongs.

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10/02/12
PROMISED

Birthmarked Trilogy, Book Three

by Caragh M. O'Brien

ISBN-13: 978-1596435711
Roaring Books Press, 352 pages.

Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

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Gaia Stone has challenged the ruthless regime of the Enclave, she's crossed a terrible wasteland to live in Sylum and even adapted to their strange new ways. But now she faces her biggest challenge ever: leading the people of Sylum back to the Enclave in the hopes that they can find a way to peacefully co-exist. The Enclave has grown even more cruel in the time they've been away, and now Gaia has the added burden of feeling responsible for the safety of the former residents of Sylum as well as her own. Gaia's always been strong-minded, but is she willing to pay the price of being a leader? And what if what's at stake is her and Leon's future?

Cover Reveal: What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

WHAT'S LEFT OF ME 
The Hybrid Chronicles, Book One
by Kat Zhang
Coming 9/18/12
ISBN-13: 978-0062114877, 336 pages, HarperCollins.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads
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NEVER LET ME GO meets HIS DARK MATERIALS in a beautiful, haunting YA debut, the first book in The Hybrid Trilogy.

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

The Future of YA is so bright....

Here are some recent book deals that I find extremely exciting. First up is :

THE RAVEN BOYS

Raven Cycle, Book One

by Maggie Stiefvater

ISBN-13: 978-0545424929

Scholastic Press, 416 pages.

Coming 9/18/12

Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

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Filled with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, The Raven Boys introduces readers to Richard “Dick” Campbell Gansey, III and Blue Sargent. Gansey has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on the hunt to find Glendower, a vanished Welsh king. Legend has it that the first person to find him will be granted a wish—either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart.

Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there—known as Raven Boys—can only mean trouble. When Gansey and his Raven Boy friends come into her life, Blue realizes how true this is. She never thought her fortune would be a problem. But she was wrong.

Everything that Ms. Stiefvater has written, starting with Linger through Scorpio Races, have been such prefect, magical, and memorable books, making The Raven Boys is a must read and an instant pre-order.
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Coming from Simon Pulse is Christa Desir's TRAINWRECK, 

"Eighteen-year old Ben Baptiste decides not to go to the party with his girlfriend, Ani. He’s not there when two strangers pour her drinks and brag about the upcoming “ride.” He misses her table dance, her announcement of a plan to hook up with half the guys in the room, and finding her passed out three hours later with no memory of the night.

But when doctors surgically remove a lighter left inside Ani, he's there. When whispers of "Firecrotch" and "Manhole" follow Ani down the school halls, he's there. When Ani begs him to make her forget, but then cries as he whispers, "I love you," he's there. And when his best friend tells him Ani's messing around with other guys, he is there.

Ben doesn't know how to fix Ani. But he is there."--from author's blog.

Sounds like a powerful book. We should expect to see this one in the fall of 2013. 

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Coming from Amazon Publishing is Courtney Eldridge's GHOST SIGNS

"an artistic teen's quest for the truth when her math-genius boyfriend disappears from their Twin Peaks-like town"--Publisher's Marketplace

There's no listing for when this book is slated for publication, but since I am a huge Twin Peeks fan I am very intrigued. Wish the author had a website so I could dig up some more information!

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Coming from Harper Children's is Tom Isbell's THE HATCHERY,

"set in a post-apocalyptic future about a group of sixteen-year-old boys called Less Thans, who are convinced that their overseers at the orphanage are raising them as prey for hunters who kill for sport"--Publisher's Marketplace

Slated for publication in 2013, The Hatchery is listed as book one in a trilogy! Couldn't find a website for this author either.

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Coming from Delacorte is Page Morgan's GROTESQUE

"...a new gothic thriller series set in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century, about two sisters on a search for their missing brother and the deadly and otherworldly truths that they discover."--Publisher's Marketplace

There's no listing for it on Goodreads yet, and the Publisher's Marketplace listing doesn't have a projected date either. It does say that it slated as a trilogy, thrilling. Plus there seems to be a trend now for author's in this post having no blog or website to troll.
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Coming from Egmont is Ilsa Bick's WHITE SPACE.

"A seventeen-year-old girl who jumps between the lines of books and into the white space where realities are created and destroyed - but who may herself be nothing more than a character written into being from an alternative universe."--Publisher's Marketplace

We should expect to see this is 2014 according to Goodreads and it is listed in  Publisher's Marketplace  as being part of a two book deal.

What I've Read in 2012, Part 1: Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

UNDER THE NEVER SKY
Under the Never Sky, Book One
by Veronica Rossi
Available Now!
ISBN-13: 978-0062072030, Harper Collins, 384 pages.
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“An unforgettable dystopian masterpiece.” (Examiner.com ) 

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

MY "REVIEW"

At first I couldn't sink into it. Those first couple of pages with Aria inside Reverie felt soo.... one dimensional somehow (and I wouldn't understand why this was until reading all the story). Yet I kept reading, something in the story was pulling me along, this slowly increasing pace into something dangerous. Then Aria was unplugged from her Smarteye and her world and the book leaped into full vibrant dimension. Danger and uncertainty were the first jarring emotions, then came fear and a fight for survival. I drank in these pages as if I were slaking a deep thirst.

But all this would seem colorless compared to the wild brilliance of Perry. I don't know how this wild personality and his mercurial moods were contained within the pages of this book. He is one of those characters that feel larger than fiction, that are so clearly drawn that he almost breaths life and draws the air in front of you. 

As the story progressed, Aria grew and became just as dimensional and vibrant and strong as I could have wished. I hunger for strong female characters, and it was brilliant to see one grow before your eyes as Aria does.

The characters and the story feels cinematic and epic. From Roar to Cinder, Marron, and little Talon were all unique and precious to me as well. I hungered to learn more about them, I drank in their scenes. My breath caught for their moments of tenderness, danger, or strength. This is a rich world that I never wanted to leave. Parting from it left me feeling as if I'd been kicked out into the cold.


This is a MUST READ and I am in agony that we will all have to wait until 2013 for the sequel, Through the Ever Night.

What I'm Reading Right Now....

THE PLEDGE

The Pledge, Book One

by Kimberly Derting

ISBN-13: 9781442422018, 323 pages.

Available Now!

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In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I'm only a couple chapters into the book so I'm still trying to figure out how everything looks, and how this world is all put together, but so far I am intrigued.

Magnificent Devices 2- Her Own Devices by Shelley Adina

HER OWN DEVICES

Maginficent Devices, Book Two

by Shelley Adina

AVAILABLE NOW!

ASIN: B006P962QG, e-Book

Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

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If you like steampunk stories by Cherie Priest and Gail Carriger, you’ll love Her Own Devices, the sequel to Shelley Adina’s bestselling Lady of Devices.

Escaped lunatics, lost children, vengeful lords, and love. Really, the situation is becoming quite impossible.

Seventeen-year-old Lady Claire Trevelyan, left alone after the Arabian Bubble financial disaster claims home and family, now leads the cleverest gang in the London underworld. Between outwitting a rival gang, inventing a device that will net her and her scientist employer worldwide fame, and keeping her mother from marrying her off, she can almost forget that a powerful lord wants to get closer ... and if he succeeds, can destroy it all with a single word ...

I wasn't paying attention, and before I knew it I'd missed this book completely. Now I'm so excited to get home from work and sink back into this series. The first book was fast paced, fascinating, but too short! I'm so glad I can continue the story with Her Own Devices.

Book One

LADY OF DEVICES

Magnificent Devices, Book One

by Shelley Adina

AVAILABLE NOW!

ISBN-13: 9781463549992 paperback, 202 pages.

Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

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London, 1889. Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin's son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire's talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It's not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices.

When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals . . .

Obligatory Cover Reveal- City Of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

CITY OF LOST SOULS
Mortal Instruments, Book Five
by Cassandra Clare
Coming MAY 8, 2012!
ISBN-13: 978-1442416864, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 480 pages.
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads


You cannot be a book blogger- specifically a YA book blogger- and not post the cover reveal of City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. And any cover revealing the "face of Jace" would always be hit or miss. I personally don't love the model for either Jace nor Clarey, but as it's just the cover and no cover can erase what I imagine my version of Jace's dangerously sexy and über perfect visage to be like, I'm perfectly fine with this cover. It's very nice actually.  

All Apologies- Giveaway Winner Announcement

I'm late! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! So sorry, but being deathly ill with some mutated strain of a zombified flu virus has made me lose touch with deadlines. The winner of the Anna Dressed In Blood/My Favorite Things Giveaway is.... Lori T! Congratulations.

Happy New Year!