New Covers of August Part 1

I love covers so I thought I'd do a sort of recap for new YA covers released in August. The source for my list is Tor.com Urban Fantasy on Facebook.  I like them since they're so awesome and have lots of cool posts. All credit for this post goes to them!

Set against the backdrop of a Coney Island summer comes The Vicious Deep, the story of sixteen year old Tristan Hart whose life is turned upside down when the mermaids make an unscheduled return to land in search of their new king.
When a sudden storm pulls Tristan from lifeguard duty into a deadly riptide, he discovers what he really is—a prince of the Sea Court. Turns out, his girlfriend hopping and talents as a swimmer aren’t caused by his teenage prime hormones after all.

In this modern Arthurian tale with a twist, when all a guy wants to do is get The Girl and enjoy the freak show that is a Coney Island summer, Tristan has to fight for his life, the lives of his friends, and his humanity, if he still wants it, as he’s caught in a race for a throne that is as ancient as the gods.

Releases: March 2012

Kendra Hilferty, the witch who curses Kyle Kingsbury in Beastly, tells about her immortal existence-how she discovered she was a witch and the various ways she has used her powers to help people throughout the centuries. (Unfortunately her attempts have often backfired.) As it turns out, Kendra has actually had a hand in "Hansel and Gretel," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Little Mermaid"-but these are not the fairy tales you think you know! Kendra's reminiscences are wrapped around a real-time version of "Cinderella," except the "ugly" stepsister is the good guy. 
With dark twists, hilarious turns, and unexpected endings, Bewitching is a contemporary read for fairy-tale lovers, fantasy fans, and anyone looking for more Alex Flinn.

Releases: March 14th 2012

All Airel ever wanted to be was normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like sudden mysterious illness. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything she hopes for even now. Airel knew change would be inevitable as life went on. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?

Releases: August 31 2011

 Have you ever had the feeling that you've lived another life? Been somewhere that has felt totally familiar, even though you've never been there before, or felt that you know someone well, even though you are meeting them for the first time? It happens. In 2073 on the remote and secretive island of Blessed, where rumour has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visiting journalist, Eric Seven, and a young local woman known as Merle are ritually slain. Their deaths echo a moment ten centuries before, when, in the dark of the moon, a king was slain, tragically torn from his queen. Their souls search to be reunited, and as mother and son, artist and child, forbidden lovers, victims of a vampire they come close to finding what they've lost. In a novel comprising seven parts, each influenced by a moon - the flower moon, the harvest moon, the hunter's moon, the blood moon - this is the story of Eric and Merle whose souls have been searching for each other since their untimely parting. Beautifully imagined, intricately and cleverly structured, this is a heart-wrenching and breathtaking love story with the hallmark Sedgwick gothic touches of atmosphere, blood-spilling and sacrifice.

Releases: October 6 2011

   A love so strong, even eternity can’t separate them. Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men. For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she’s not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn’t understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren’t the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.

Releases: December 6 2011



That's just part one. The reason I'm doing this in parts is that I don't want people to get overwhelmed! Weren't these covers beautiful? I am SO using them for Cover Wars. I'm so excited to read them all!

Review: Abandon

Author: Meg Cabot
Pages: 304
Publisher: Point
Source: Library
Synopsis: Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. 


But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. 


 Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. 


But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

Buy the Book (Amazon)
Buy the Book (The Book Depository)

Abandon had such a pretty layout. That's one of my first thoughts about it. Clean but comfortable, I absolutely loved the design. Now on to the actual content.

Abandon started out kinda slow. I mean, I was curious, but there's only so much time spent in flashbacks you can take before wondering what's the story even about. Now or then? Because for a while I had no clue what was happening. That's not necessarily negative, I did like Pierce enough to keep reading about her and her secrets, but I do wish the story would have focused more on the present. Now that the beginning is over though, I think that the next book will have way more action in it.

The plot is actually very interesting. The Persephone/Hades aspect keeps you reading and near the end, I was groaning because I wanted more! Definitely a good ending. I can't wait to read the next book, that's the kind of ending it was. There were lots of cool plot lines too: Hanna, the jeweler, NDE...

I liked most of the characters, but I didn't fall in love with any. There wasn't a character I absolutely loved and that I'd smile when reading about. I think it's because most of the story wasn't necessarily in present so I didn't get to see all sides of the characters and many remained a mystery by the end of the novel.

What I wasn't too keen on was the way Abandon didn't addict me most of the way through. I was like "yeah, this is happening, whoa, that sounds cool" but never really got to that "OMG I need to keep reading!" level which is essential for any book I love. John was a good character and I did really like him, so I can't wait to read more about him.

Overall, Abandon was definitely the "setup" of the series. There was a huge event in the end that the next book or two will probably be in reaction of, but I'm not complaining. The parallels between the Greek story and Abandon are interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next. Definitely a series to keep your eyes on, 3.5 stars,

*** & 1/2 *

Song of the Week: The Game by Alyssa Reid

I cannot say how much I lurve this song. The melody, the mood, it appeals to me in every way. I love singing it and it's stuck in my head. It's The Game by Alyssa Reid.




I know, two videos in one day? But I couldn't help myself. 

Book Trailer: Vesper

Yes, I know I haven't posted a book trailer in forever. Well I'm resolving to be more proactive so I'll try following the schedule again. Or use it as a guide. Anyway, I read Vesper and liked it. I thought the trailer was really well done. Check it out!

Cover Wars : Above vs. Frost

Welcome to another fabulous edition of Cover Wars! For those of you new to Cover Wars, it's all about appreciating beautiful, gorgeous and fabulous covers. If you have a recommendation or would like your cover featured, feel free to leave a comment or send an email.

Cover Wars is a fun little feature at Tantalizing Illusions all about voting for your favourite cover. Why? For fun! It's my way of promoting new titles with pretty covers. Every week there are two covers: the Challenger and the Defender. The Defender is the winner from the previous week. The Challenger is uh, challenging the Defender for its throne. Let the best cover win!

Last week was the battle between Above and Still Waters. A very very close one it was, but Above managed to hold its spot. It goes to show you that every vote counts. This week we have Above versus...

vs

FROST by Marianna Baer. The covers this week are very similar yet opposites. They're both sort of metallic and sultry. Both have girls looking up with scenery in the background. One has the girl's face and a country-looking creepy house while the other shows the back of a girl with wings in Toronto. They're both undeniably beautiful though and I for one can't wait to see which will triumph. Let the battle begin!

**You can vote on the poll to the right ----------->**

Review: Far From the War

Author: Jeffrey David Payne
Pages: 366
Publisher: Roche Harbor Books
Source: Review copy- Thank you so much!
Synopsis: Economic ruin and partisan rancor have pushed America to the brink of a new civil war. Esther is caught in the middle, serving as a page in the United States House of Representatives when rogue politicians and military leaders stage a modern day coup d’état. When the coup turns violent, she abandons Washington, D.C. for home. She must learn to survive on her own as transportation and financial networks fail, as the war disrupts food and water supplies. The result is a cautionary tale about political extremism and the true cost of war.

Buy the Book (Amazon)

Far From the War was a battering, brutal story of war. Honestly, it leaves me wanting to be more active and make sure nothing like that ever happens. But the shocking reality is that it does happen! How many stories do we hear on the news of revolutions and fights for control?

The strength of this book was the fact that it didn't shy down from the aspects of war. We met soldiers from both sides, we learnt of the obliteration of several cities. There were violent and painful deaths. There were good people, bad people, desperation, hope. There was an appropriately large range of characters each with their own quirks. I feel like crying right now thinking this is what people go through.

Esther is the main character here. She's strong, smart, and seriously witty. I liked Esther in the way I like a role model. She was so incredible and knowledgeable all the time. I couldn't relate to that part. Esther certainly doesn't have it easy. What she goes through... It's a heck of a journey. So much sorrow and tears.

With all the death, you'd expect this book to be a "sad" story. You know, the kind of book that is heart-wrenching and makes you tear up. With dramatic scenes and the whole nine yards. While there was plenty of material to make this a "sad story" it was more of a survival story. If you have nightmares, are squeamish or queasy, you may have trouble with Far From the War. It's very much smart a story for mature audiences.

Plot and interest wise, this book had me hooked. I learned early on to pay careful attention to what's happening and I'm a daydreamer so sometimes I wander off to another world. Not with this book. I reread certain parts to get the full impact. The story had me addicted and reading far into the night.

I do have to mention the little problems I had too though. First, Esther didn't feel like a normal teen. She's 17 and serious, yes, but she never really ever mentioned anything that someone in my generation would know. She used some language but some parts of her character had me thinking, "Hmmm, really?" I wasn't always convinced of her emotion. That may have been due to the fact that the story was written in third person so that we saw what was happening but didn't get overwhelmed. I could disregard this easily enough though.

Basically, Far From the War surprised me in the best possible way. It was a fulfilling story of war, peace, love, hate, and everything about life and survival. I was thoroughly compelled to keep reading until the satisfying end. The world needs more stories like Far From the War. 4 stars,

****

Review: Shine

Author: Lauren Myracle
Pages: 350
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Library
Synopsis: When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice. 


 Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.


Buy the Book (Amazon)
Buy the Book (The Book Depository)

Wow. I'm astonished. I had a feeling I'd like Shine, but I had no idea just how good it was!

The book tackles huge issues head on. Shine isn't about one thing. It's about lots of stuff like family, growing up, living, drugs, a bit of everything else. And it ties everything together so well. I stopped often when reading to just think about everything. What did I believe? Who was in the right? Who was in the wrong? How would I act in a similar situation? Shine opened my mind to many new ideas and issues, and I'm thankful for it. Definitely a must read.

Cat starts out as a weak girl with obvious self esteem issues. She's been so passive and alone for such a long time, and it takes the beating of her former best friend (till she dropped him) Patrick to wake her up. She's an amazing character. Timid, but when she's riled up she's ready to fight. And fight she does. I loved Cat's loyalty, and I was cheering for her the whole way. She's had a hard past, but it made her stronger. She's a girl to look up to.

One of the things I loved about Shine was the characters. They had outsides and history with Cat, but they had new insides too, (if that makes any sense whatsoever) and they were interesting. Some of them did unforgivable things, but were on the path of redemption, others were giving up, and others made me sick with their passive attitude. They all acted a certain way that made them memorable and real. It was a pleasure meeting them all.

This is more of a fun comment, but I loved the small southern town setting. I would never want to live there, but I love reading about the South. I think it was really well done and went with the story.

Ultimately, Shine was a tragic, beautiful story of ugliness and the courage it takes to deal with it. It's a thoughtful read and though it deals with huge issues, I would recommend it to almost everyone of the right maturity. 5 stars,

*****