Shadow Scale Release Day Giveaway

Over two years ago debut author Rachel Harman took the literary world by storm with a high-fantasy novel that became a New York Times Bestseller and gained EIGHT starred reviews.  Seraphina made numerous "best of" lists and was raved about by authors and booksellers alike and today the highly anticipated sequel (and conclusion to the series) hits shelves!  Thanks to the publisher I have an exciting giveaway for you all!  But first, here's a look at the books!

Seraphina

In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. Eragon-author Christopher Paolini calls them, "Some of the most interesting dragons I've read in fantasy."

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

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*The e-book is currently on sale for $1.99 on ALL PLATFORMS!

Shadow Scale

The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways. 

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Are you intrigued?  Well one of you will have the chance to win a finished copy of Shadow Scale and, if you should need it, Seraphina!  The publisher has graciously provided the copy of book two and I will invest in the first one should you need it.  All you need to do is enter the rafflecopter below!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note that since the publisher is providing the prize (and I am just adding to it if you need book one) that this giveaway is only open to those in the US.  Sorry to all of you international fans!

Review-Pandemonium

If you've been with me since the beginning you'll know how much I enjoyed Delirium, so when I got an ARC of this book I was very happy.  Delirium was so amazing, whenever I describe it to someone I call it "lyrical" and that's really what it was, and as excited as I was to get the sequel I was a little afraid to read it.  Because the first one was so good I was afraid this one would let me down, but it definitely did not.  Yes, it was different from the first one, and it wasn't exactly lyrical it was still such a good book.  The formatting was also different, switching between present time and right after Delirium ended, and you think that would be a confusing but I actually liked it.  Oliver uses such grace and has so much skill it doesn't seem like there's a difference, and it really doesn't matter which time you're in the story is gripping either way.  There was also some worries about having a new boy in the series, but I like the new boy as well.  As a sequel this book really doesn't disappoint in any way.  The new Lena is even better then the old one, and the new characters are perfect for the setting.  The lies run even deeper, and the stakes are even higher as things spiral out of control for Lena again.  There was more adventure in this whole book, it really starts out from the beginning, then there was in Delirium but given the circumstances and where she is I think that this was the perfect thing to do.  The ending will leave you screaming for more, just like the first one did.  I can't wait to see how Lauren will end the series, but this is a worthy sequel if I've ever read one.  If you've read Delirium you should pick this book out when it comes out, and if you haven't read the series I highly recommend it. 

Out March 28, 2012

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Clockwork Prince

First off, I love Cassie's books. She's one of my favorite authors and there is not a book she has written that I don't like.  People have said many things about this book, that it left them heart-broken, it made them cry, it was the best book she's ever written, and while these all may be true to some people only one of them is true for me.  This is, by far, the best book Cassie has ever written.  I can see how some people might cry and how some people might be left heart-broken, because Cassie writes in such a way that plays with your emotions, like a roller coaster of feelings shoved at you in such a way you just have to hold on to them for the time being.  People are also steadily on a side, Team Jem or Team Will, and to begin with I was Team Will, but now I'm Team "Cassie Break My Heart and You Will Die".  I think there's a good way to end the series, a reasonable way to end the series, and a way that will leave half of us broken for the rest of our lives, and based on this book I'm guessing it will be the last one that ends up being written.  The book only takes place between a two week period but I feel that so much is squished into that two weeks, so much happens, we learn so much, and it's just so magical.  Dare I say that this series is shaping up to be BETTER then the Mortal Instruments (although I am still rather partial to Jace).  I wish I could say that the reason I took so long to read this book was because I was savoring every moment of it, but I was sick, and didn't want to read when I was sick, but once I got better it was SO good.  Somehow I just seemed to find myself in Tessa's London, and I was worried for all of the character's safety, even the main ones, because we all know Cassie isn't afraid to kill of a main character.  If you haven't read the first book in this series I highly recommend you pick it up, then grab this one.  If you haven't read anything by Cassie at least pick up ONE of her books, either of her series will do, but this one really does stand out against other books in the genre at this time.  Bravo Cassie, Bravo.

5/5 dust spirits

Review-Crossed

I was very excited when a friend of mine sent me an ARC of this book because I just loved the first one.  It was supposed to be the new Hunger Games, and although I've never finished those books I don't think it's anything like them.  I liked Crossed more then Matched but then I also liked Matched more then Crossed. Does that make sense? No, probably not, but I think that when you read it you will understand.  I loved the fact that we got to see half of the book from Ky's point of view.  I know there are some people who hate alternating points of view, but I think that Ky's point of view is such a huge part of this book it wouldn't have worked if it was all from Cassia's point of view.  We learn lots of new secrets, some bigger than others.  Thankfully the ending isn't a HUGE cliffhanger, I mean, yeah, there is some suspense as to what's going to happen next, but it's not one that will leave you tossing and turning in bed trying to figure out what's going to happen.  There was adventure, kissing, and some suspense and Ally wrapped it all up perfectly.  There were just a few things that bugged me, namely the fact that it took over 100 pages for Cassia and Ky to finally find each other.  Yeah, I know, that was a little spoilery, but I mean, really, how many of you seriously thought they wouldn't find each other again?  All of the secrets we learn the answers to in this book are definitely leading up to something bigger that better be explained in the last book.  Again Condie writes a beautiful novel that I think everyone who enjoys a good dystopia should read, and if you read and liked the first one this one won't disappoint.  I also have to comment on the covers, the first one was Green, this one is blue.  I love both covers and Ally has said that they are rather symbolic of the story, and I definitely get that.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the last one will be red, because of the tablet colors. Green to calm down (and calming down helps you figure everything out, which is what Cassia did in the first book), blue to survive (what Ky and Cassia both had to do in the second one), and red to forget (or maybe to prove how different Cassia really is).  But then again I would like it if it were purple.

4.5/5 dust spirits

Review-Supernaturally

Throughout my time as a reader I've learned that sequels generally fall short of the first book in a series.  This isn't always true but most of the time it is.  I have to say that I am in love with Paranormalcy because it was just so much fun.  It was different and the story was so fresh and new it was a really great read.  I not-so-patiently awaited the release of Supernaturally because despite my best efforts I was unable to get an ARC of the book, although I did find it a few days early.  Now, I really enjoyed the book, it was fun and fresh just like it's predecessor but there were a few things that I missed.  I missed Tasey in most of this book, although she was there she wasn't used much and I feel that it really made Evie feel less Evie-ish and thus made this book less Paranormalcy-ish.  This book really was a great sequel to it though because it starts off pretty much where Paranormalcy left off and although it was missing Tasey there were still great things about it.  Lend, I love Lend and he pretty much just gets better and better in this book.  Then there's Evie, she really seems to find herself in this book and I really like that, because in the long run that's what all teenage girls (all people in general) want in the end. Then there was also that great twist at the end that I sort of saw coming but probably should have pegged from the beginning, but in my defense Reth is still a dick.  We rarely see female heroins that have to make a big decision that effects more than just herself and maybe a few of her close friends, but Kiersten somehow makes it possible for Evie to decide the fate of an entire species and you don't want to slap her, which I think is pretty impressive.  We also see more of who Evie is, not just as a person but who she is as a paranormal and I think that was another great thing about the book, because it needed to be put out there, not in the last book, but in the second one.  Long story short this was a good sequel but there was just that one thing missing that made it not better than the first one.  The beginning just throws you into the action and the ending wraps things up nicely while leaving a string for the last book to pick up on.  I can't wait for Endlessly to see how Evie and Lend end up and what the outcome of everything that's happened in the first two books turns out to be.

4.5/5 dust spirits