Cover Madness Giveaway!

I am so happy to be participating in a giveaway that showcases ALL THE PRETTY COVERS! Thanks so much to Xpresso Reads and Alluring Reads for hosting this hop. 
So basically, I've selected some of my favorite recently-revealed covers. If you win, you can pick one of these books to be allllll yours. You can chose one of these for pre-order, or, if a book shown is part of a series, you can pick one of the earlier books. This giveaway is international--available to those who live anywhere The Book Depository ships. This giveaway ends July 14, 2013. Here is what you have to chose from: 

(Clicking on a cover will take you to its Goodreads page)

Enter with the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

June Recap

If you haven't been obsessively keeping tabs on our blog, I must say I'm neither surprised nor upset. So here are some posts of note from June, just in case you missed them ;D

Charlotte's review of The Day I Met Suzie by Chris Higgins

Gabbi's review of Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Gabbi's review of The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Charlotte's review of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Gabbi's review of The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Gabbi's review of Saving Ben by Ashley Farley (Blog Tour)

Gabbi's review of In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow (Blog Tour)

Gabbi's review of Fall From Love by Heather London (Blog Tour)

Top ten books featuring travel

Top ten beach reads

Top ten books on my summer TBR

Top ten books I've read in 2013 so far

The series continuation edition

Katie McGarry shares Noah Hutchins's guilty pleasure movies/TV shows

Character interview with Noah Hutchins

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Read:
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen - Gabbi
In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow - Gabbi
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows - Charlotte

Currently:
Saving Ben by Ashley Farley - Gabbi
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - Charlotte

Next:
Fall From Love by Heather London - Gabbi

Wha'chu be reading? 

Book Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Series: Newsoul #1

Genre: YA Sci-Fi Fantasy
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 374
Source: Bought

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life. (Summary from Goodreads)

 I did truly adore this novel. The cover is stunning and so is the story inside.

The world which Meadows created was beautiful and so far from the truth of reality yet it seemed so very real. I felt as though dragons, sylph and reincarnation actually existed as I read my way from cover to cover; I was so absorbed in this world.

Ana (our protagonist) was a character I adored from the first sentence and she continued to grow on me throughout the duration of the novel. She was as new to herself as she was to us; we knew everything she did and the best part was that we learnt it all with her - who she was, what she liked, why she existed and more importantly, who to trust. Meadows showed us all of this, she didn't tell us - this I liked.

Another character who I (and you will) love is Sam. He is so perfect, yet so flawed. He seemed so real throughout the book, so human. He was a lovable character and a great asset to the story.

The only issue I had with characters was that I think Meadows introduced us to too many members of the 'council' in one go so that I forgot who was who for a while. Only a few members were relevant characters yet all these names were thrown at us. This was ONLY a tiny issue, do not let this put you off the novel! You will not get confused about who is who with any main characters, I promise!

The relationships in this novel were more realistic than in a lot of YA reads these days as friendships were tested and emotions were used as weapons as well as comfort. The relationship between Ana and sam developed well throughout the story - they were each other's lifelines but also each was the other's greatest weakness.

I love the plot, the characters, the writing (the cover!) and everything else about this novel. It was well thought-out and beautifully written. I loved it so much that I've picked out a few of my favourite quotes! (I couldn't include all as they wouldn't have made sense out of context.)

1) "Honestly? I think people aren't sure it's worth getting to know you. It would be like you deciding if it was worth befriending a butterfly, even though it wouldn't be there in the morning."

2) I was the brushstroke that ruined the painting.

3) I was trapped, a butterfly under glass.

I loved this story as much as I'd hoped I would. I definitely recommend it and will certainly be picking myself up a copy of the sequel.

Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Reads

When I think of beach reads I imagine books that are easy to immerse yourself in, have a bit of humor in them, are relatively quick reads, and are mostly just light and fun. Not all of these books fit the description, but still. I also looked at my beach reads list from last year and tried not to pick the same books. 

1) School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
2) The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace
3) Golden by Jessi Kirby
4) The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
5) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
6) Just One Day by Gayle Forman
7) All Sarah Dessen books
8) Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
9) The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
10) Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook

 By 'beach read' I think I'll generalize it to a summer/holiday/light-hearted/fun/friends/romance read :) Though they're not all typical contemporary as I'm not reeeeeally a contemporary girl.

1) Falling Fast - Sophie Mckenzie
2) Boys Don't Cry - Malorie Blackman
3) Star-Crossed - Rachel Wing
4) The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen
5) Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater
6) Incarnate - Jodi Meadows
7) Sam Cruz's Unfallible Guide to Getting Girls - Tellulah Darling
8) Candor - Pam Bachorz
9) Everneath - Brodi Ashton
10) Lock and Key - Sarah Dessen

Practically Peeing: The Debut Edition

I know, what a weird post title! But there's a lot of times when I'm excited for a book I say I'm peeing my pants for it. So "Practically Peeing" is a feature sort of like Waiting on Wednesday or On My Wishlist or Books  To Pine For where I showcase books that I realllllllly want to read. They might already be released, they might be a year away, they might be coming out next month! Either way, I can guarantee, I really want to read them.

Gabbi - 

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Series: Time Between Us #1
Genre: YA Supernatural
Publication Date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 368

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

I have had a major crush on this book since the first time I laid eyes upon the beautiful cover.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Series: Standalone

Genre: YA Contemporary 

Publication Date: October 18, 2007

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 304

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

I have heard the most amazing things about this book, and I've been told it's life-changing. I'm at that stage in my life where I could really use some life-changing. 

Charlotte-

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Series: Newsoul #1

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Fantasy

Publication Date: January 31, 2012

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 374

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

 Stunning cover and promising story line!

What debut books, new or old, are you practically peeing your pants for? 

Book Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Series: Newsoul #1
Genre: YA Fantasy Sci-Fi
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: ARC
Pages: 384
Source: Gifted by another blogger

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.  (goodreads.com)

Goodreads - Amazon - B&N - Indiebound - Book Depo

Take a second to gaze admiringly at that cover. I've been in love with that cover since the very first time I saw it. A stunning cover to accompany a stunning novel!

In the beginning, I was slightly confused. There was a lot of worldbuilding that I didn't understand. But obviously since it was only, like, the first 10 pages I knew things would be explained. And then BAM! The awesomesauce kicked in. We begin to see what Ana is really like: tough, intelligent, a tad prickly, bitter. Right off the bat it is easy to sympathize with her - if not exactly love her - because of her horrible circumstances. I very easily related to Ana, and I think others will, too. She has the unwavering need to discover who she really is and where she came from. She needs to get away from her horrible mother who has abused her emotionally and physically for years. She wants to find someone that loves her and cares for her, even though she believes that it is impossible. I felt for this girl sooo much. Her evil mother has damaged her so harcore, calling her a nosoul and claiming that Ana is incapable of loving anything or anyone. Some people may get annoyed because she's really defensive, but can you blame her? She's been nothing but beat down her entire life! I really ended up liking Ana and rooting for her.

Then Sam came along. And OMG SAM. For me, it kind of felt like instalove, but then I realized it wasn't. Sam only saves Ana from a big, scary sylph because he thinks it is someone he knows. (Though, I'm pretty sure he would have done it if it was his mortal enemy, because that's just the kind of guy he is.) He then notices her combination of fear and determination and decides to help her. He's a seriously great guy, not like the normal brooding bad boy, though he does have some weird moments. But really, he's sweet and smart and a MUSICIAN. Drool-worthy, certainly.

The plot and premise and world created in Incarnate are all so original that I seriously just want to, like, jump for joy. Add to that the sylph and the dragons and ZOMG HOW AMAZING. I didn't really know what a sylph was before starting this book because I had never read a novel where they played such a prominent role, but quite frankly, they are CREEPY CREATURES. They're just floating shadow creatures that have a searing touch and are nearly unstoppable. And Ana has been attacked by them multiple times. You go girl!

And I can't overlook the most fabulous thing of all: the writing. Jodi Meadows wowed me. She sucked me into her world and allowed me to see through Ana's eyes. I could feel my heart racing along with Ana's. I understood her decisions, even if I didn't always agree. AND THE ENDING. :OOOO Let's just say we discover some really important things. But what I love most is that there is no stupid cliffhanger that simultaneously annoys and intrigues you. Meadows leaves us with a satisfactory ending that will allow us to breathe easily while waiting for the next installment.

All in all, you need to read this book. Whether you're a fan of fantasy, dystopia, sci-fi, or any other genre in the world. You need to read this. Jodi Meadows is sweeping into debut authorhood with a resounding BANG.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Book Journey.

FINISHED:

*The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (My review)

*The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (review coming soon)

Eeep! I only finished 2! But I was at my friends house all weekend so...

TO READ THIS WEEK:

*Frozen by Robin Wasserman

*Hushed by Kelley York

*Pyxis by K.C. Neal

*Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

*Enchanted by Rachel Wells

That's a lot to finish this week, but I'm already partially through Pyxis, Enchanted, and Frozen, and I'm on Thanksgiving break from school!

Did anyone else notice that all the books I plan to read this week only have one word for a title? Hmm.

WHAT ARE YOU READING THIS WEEK?

November Comment Contest: Win Incarnate!

NOVEMBER COMMENT CONTEST

Win an ARC of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

This is something I have never done before. However, I thought I would give it a shot. I'm sure many of you have seen contests like this around the blog-o-sphere, so you pretty much know the rules. Still, here they are:

1) In order to enter, you must comment on THIS post with your email address. Otherwise I will have no way to contact you. It is your mandatory entry.

2) Only comment on posts from November count towards the contest.

3) Every time you comment on a post from NOVEMBER, you will gain an entry. However, you only receive one entry per post. So, if you comment on the same review three times, you will still only get one extra entry.  

4) Your comments must be meaningful. I suspect that you ALL know what meaningful means, but just in case, that means you actually comment with real thoughts. More than just, "Awesome review!"

5) This contest will end December 2, 2011, but the only entries that count are from November posts.

6) Following the blog is NOT required, neither is tweeting about the contest. It will not get you extra entries, but I would be extremely grateful.

7) This is US only. Sorry! I'm only 15 and money for shipping does not exactly grow on trees.

8) I have the right to change the prize, revoke the giveaway, disqualify your entries, etc.

9) And, just a warning, this ARC has been read by more than just me, so it is sort of worn out.

10) I will select the winners using Random.org

11) NO CHEATING. Only one account per person. If I find out you are doing otherwise, every single one of your entries will be disqualified.

Now, comment away! And good luck to you all. DO NOT FORGET THE MANDATORY ENTRY.


A ginormous thank you goes to HD at Reading Writing Breathing. He is the one who gave me this ARC, so this contest would not be possible without him.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Genre: YA Utopian

Publication date: January 31, 2012

Summary from Goodreads:

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

Helloooooo! Let's start out with the beautiful cover. It's so gorgeous! That alone would convince me to pick up this book. And the uniqueness of the premise. I don't know. I constantly stock Jodi Meadows blog. She has a great sense of humor and I have no doubt that transferred into her book. I'm just so excited!

So what are you waiting on!?