Release Week Blitz: HOOK’S REVENGE: THE PIRATE CODE by Heidi Schulz (+Giveaway)

I am excited to be a part of the Release Week Blitz for THE PIRATE CODE by Heidi Schulz.  It released September 15 and it looks super cute and fun!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful series by Heidi Schulz, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for copies of both HOOK’S REVENGE books! US only. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

THE PIRATE CODE: HOOK'S REVENGE

Heidi Schulz

September 15, 2015

Disney-Hyperion

352 Pages

Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Book Depository

Fresh off a fearsome encounter with the Neverland crocodile, Jocelyn Hook decides the most practical plan is to hunt down her father's famous fortune. After all, she'll need the gold to fund her adventuring in the future. (And luckily, Hook left her the map.)

But the map proves to be a bit harder to crack than Jocelyn had hoped, and she's convinced that the horrible Peter Pan might be the only one with the answers. Of course, he doesn't really feel like helping her, so Jocelyn takes the only reasonable course of action left to her: she kidnaps his mother. Evie, though, is absolutely thrilled to be taken prisoner, so Jocelyn's daring ploy doesn't have quite the effect she'd planned for.

Along with the problem of her all-too-willing captive, Jocelyn must also contend with Captain Krueger, whose general policy is that no deed is too dastardly when it comes to stealing Hook's treasure. And with the ever-shifting Whens of the Neverland working against her as well, Jocelyn, Evie, Roger, and the rest of the Hook's Revenge crew have their work cut out for them.

In this rambunctious showdown between characters new and old, Jocelyn puts her own brand of pirating to the test in a quest to save her future and those she loves.

Heidi Schulz is a writer, reader, and giraffe suspicioner. She lives in Salem, Oregon with her husband, co-captaining a crew made of their teen daughter, a terrible little dog, and five irascible chickens. Her debut novel for middle grade readers, HOOK’S REVENGE, published by Disney•Hyperion, was a Bank Street Best book, among the New York Public Library’s Top 100 Titles for Children in 2014, and an OCTE Oregon Spirit Honor Book. A sequel, HOOK’S REVENGE: THE PIRATE CODE, was published in September 2015. Bloomsbury Kids will publish her picture book debut, GIRAFFES RUIN EVERYTHING, in Spring 2016.

Connect with the author

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | INSTAGRAM

Giveaway Details

1 winner will receive both HOOKS’S REVENGE Books. 

US Only.

Ends on September 25th at Midnight EST!

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Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Review + Giveaway)

Title: Uprooted
Author(s): Naomi Novik
Edition: ARC, 438 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: May 19, 2015
Source: Goodreads First Reads
Buy: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository

The Summary

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  

I'm sorry I had to get that out of the way.  Uprooted is hands down one of the best books I've read in recent years.  It is all-encompassing; as I read I felt the world spring up around me, engulfing me in the magic of the prose.  At all times both familiar and foreign, Uprooted takes you deep into the heart of Agnieszka's journey to save herself, her friends, and her family from harm.

This is not like any other fantasy book I've read recently.  Naomi Novik does an an amazing job of mixing the elements of high fantasy with accessible prose, which, let's be honest, does not happen that often.  The world building delves the reader into that high fantasy epic, but it is the characters that keep us grounded in the familiar.  I think this makes Uprooted a book that people who don't typically like to read fantasy would enjoy.

Agnieszka starts off unsure and hesitant, but as she has to fight for the people she loves not only does her power grow, but her strength of character.  You think, at first, that she's going to be turned into that "perfect girl", the one who transforms from the frumpy tomboy to the sleek beauty.  But that is not who Agnieszka is, and while she isn't frumpy she definitely doesn't mind getting dirty and pays little mind to fancy trappings.  I found this really refreshing, because to be powerful she doesn't need to change who she is, and to be commanding she doesn't need to sacrifice her own principles.  In fact this is what makes her as strong as she is.  Her heart, in each decision Agnieszka makes, is always front and center.  This can cause problems, but it always guides her through the other side.

Another aspect of the characterization is the relationship between Agnieszka and her best friend Kasia.  As you read from the summary, Kasia was thought to be picked as the next servant to the Dragon, but that doesn't happen.  Typically in this situation the best friends become enemies over jealousy, but that doesn't happen between Agnieszka and Kasia, which was just so great.  It read very true and highlighted the bonds that friends who have lived in each other's pocket their whole lives really develop.  Without this relationship, the story would be lacking real feeling, for the love the girls share is tantamount to the journey they have to face.

The underlying mythology is based on a Polish folktale with Novik's own spin on it.  That's the atmosphere when you read the book, very eastern European, reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm fairytales.  The Wood, which is the evil entity in the book, has so much wrapped up in it, and there are so many different things you learn about it, that it's hard to always think of it as EVIL.  The Wood is used to show what hate and betrayal can do to a person's soul, and really brought a complicated layer to what could have been a straight forward "bad wood, must destroy" plot.

It's hard to really review this book properly because I just fell right into the story.  When I read a book like that, I can't always explain how it made me feel properly, or the aspects of the story that really resonated.  I just really encourage you all to give this one a try, even if you don't usually read fantasy.  Uprooted has moved me like no other book as in years, and it restarted my reading appetite when it was dormant for the last year.  If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will.  

Uprooted by Naomi Novik is my absolute, hands-down, number 1 book for 2015 and you'll be missing out when all the cool kids read it if you don't run right now and snag a copy (enter below for a chance to win one of your very own)!!!

Extras

Naomi Novik's Other Books:
Temeraire Series

Final Rating

Book Cover: 4/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Overall: 49/50: A+

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

     TERMS

• Giveaway runs from September 14 - September 21, 2015
• Open only to US residents  
• No INT entries
• Must be at least 13 years old to enter.  
• ONE winner will win a finished copy of Uprooted
• Winner will be contacted by email to inform them they won.
• Winner has 48 hours to respond with mailing address or a new winner will be chosen.  
• NO PO BOXES as prizes tend to be lost when sent there.
• I claim no responsibility for lost prizes.
• Once package arrives to recipient personal information (i.e. address) is deleted.

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Release Week Blitz: SWEET TEMPTATION BY WENDY HIGGINS (+Giveaway)

I am so excited that SWEET TEMPTATION by Wendy Higgins released this week and I get to share the news, along with an awesome giveaway!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful series by Wendy Higgins, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a a paperback of the book with a signed bookplate and bookmarks! US only.  So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About The Book:

Title: SWEET TEMPTATION

Author: Wendy Higgins

Publishing Date: September 8, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 485

Format: Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes& Noble, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes.  As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry.  Disobeying his father would mean certain death.  Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it.

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

Author Note: Sweet Temptation will encompass the entire trilogy in a condensed version, beginning with Kai's life before he met Anna, and taking readers through the epilogue of Sweet Reckoning. Sweet Temptation is a companion novel, not meant to be a stand alone story. It will definitely be a richer experience for those who have read the original trilogy.

Go HERE to read an excerpt from SWEET TEMPTATION!

Also check out Wendy's PINTEREST board for KAI!

About Wendy Higgins:

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue. 

Wendy earned a bachelor's in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

Connect with the author:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | INSTAGRAM

Giveaway Details:

1 Paperback of SWEET TEMPTATION and a signed bookplate and bookmarks.

US Only.

Ends on September 18th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Trailer Thursday (35)

Today I'm bringing you a trailer for a debut historical sci-fi that will have you questioning what makes a man and what makes a monster.  

This Monstrous Thing

by Mackenzi Lee

Release Date: September 22, 2015

I'm really excited about this book!  I love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the idea that this world is set during the same "time" as the book with characters actually creating man-made people is really intriguing.  Can't wait!!

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Waiting on Wednesday (90)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming/recent releases that we seriously can’t wait to read

Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait to read:

The Sister Pact

by Stacie Ramey

Publication Date: November 1, 2015

A suicide pact was supposed to keep them together, but a broken promise tore them apart

Allie is devastated when her older sister commits suicide--and not just because she misses her. Allie feels betrayed. The two made a pact that they'd always be together, in life, and in death, but Leah broke her promise and Allie needs to know why. 

Her parents hover. Her friends try to support her. And Nick, sweet Nick, keeps calling and flirting. Their sympathy only intensifies her grief. 

But the more she clings to Leah, the more secretes surface. Allie's not sure which is more distressing: discovering the truth behind her sister's death or facing her new reality without her.

(Summary from Goodreads)

I on one hand want to really read this book, and then on the other hand, I want to throw it as far away from me as possible.  I have a very close relationship with my older sister.  She is my rock; she is my confidant; she is my best friend.  I think that if we were a little bit more damaged, we would make a pact like this as well, which scares me.  But from the reviews I've read, Ramey does an excellent job crafting the story of a left behind sister and her life without the one person that made it all worth it.  Due to this, I am going to snap this up when it comes out.  I'll be prepared with tissues and have my sister on stand-by for hugs.

What book are you waiting for?

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The Foxglove Killings Release Day Blitz (+ Giveaway)

The Foxglove Killings

by Tara Kelly 

Release Date: 09/01/15

Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads
Gramps always said that when the crickets were quiet, something bad was coming. And the crickets have been as silent as the dead. It started with the murdered deer in the playground with the unmistakable purple of a foxglove in its mouth. But in the dying boondock town of Emerald Cove, life goes on.

I work at Gramps's diner, and the cakes―the entitled rich kids who vacation here―make our lives hell. My best friend, Alex Pace, is the one person who gets me. Only Alex has changed. He's almost like a stranger now. I can't figure it out...or why I'm having distinctly more-than-friend feelings for him. Ones I shouldn't be having.

Then one of the cakes disappears.


When she turns up murdered, a foxglove in her mouth, a rumor goes around that Alex was the last person seen with her—and everyone but me believes it. Well, everyone except my worst enemy, Jenika Shaw. When Alex goes missing, it's up to us to prove his innocence and uncover the true killer. But the truth will shatter everything I've ever known about myself—and Alex.

Buy the Book

Amazon :::: Barnes & Noble :::: Book Depository

Excerpt

Chapter One

Alex saw it first.

We were cutting through Neahkahnie Park, the morning sun warm on our backs. I was telling him we should take his grandpa’s El Camino SS and drive down the coast to California for the summer.

“He left that car to you,” I said. “You know he did.” I reached over to muss his light brown hair. It always stood straight up afterward, as if he’d been electrocuted.

“We can’t, Nova. I—” He stopped walking, his eyes widening at the playground.

Clumps of fur blew across the grass, like the cotton blooms did in July. I didn’t think it was real at first. Some kid’s stuffed animal, maybe.

But the stench was unmistakable. I’d practically been raised in my grandpa’s diner. I knew the smell of meat past its prime. Raw. Metallic. Even a little sweet.

A deer’s carcass was a twisted heap in the playground, its legs jutting out like winter branches. Bits of flesh, ranging in color from pink to dark red, were strewn across the wood chips. The head of the deer sat on the middle bucket swing. A misty film covered its eyes, and its mouth was open, as if it were gasping for air.

My stomach muscles began to knot.

I saw a dog get hit by a semi once. The scene replayed in my mind for months. The thud of the impact, the way he’d yelped. The last second of that dog’s life seemed to echo forever.

This was worse. Someone planned this. Put it on display, like it was entertainment.

About the Author

Tara Kelly adores variety in her life. She’s an author, one-girl-band, graphic designer, editor, and photographer. She lives in Sin City with her beloved guitars, sound design master husband, and a fluffy cat named Maestro.

 Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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