Waiting on Wednesday (148)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Reawakened by Colleen Houck

Release Date: August 25, 2015

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Book Haul (#100)

Hey,

I hope you have all been brilliant these past few weeks and I'm really sorry for having no reviews up but there will definitely be one next week don't you worry. I will also be doing my best to get as much good content out for you guys because I've really been letting everyone down lately, but thank you for having patience with me!

This week I bought and borrowed:

Prophecy (The Dragon King Chronicles #1) by Ellen Oh - Bought -
I saw this book in the charity shop and knew that it had not been published in the UK so I snapped it up. I've heard mixed reviews but the premise sounds interesting so I'll give it a go.
Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick - Borrowed - 
This is the first book I've managed to finish in one sitting since November! I like Becca Fitzpatrick and felt that this was pretty good. Not mind-blowing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and by the end had me wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. The review will be up soon!

Leave a link to your Book Haul/Stacking the Shelves/Letterbox Love/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday in the comments below so I can check it out!

Enjoy your weekend!
Sam

Waiting on Wednesday (147)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Endangered by Lamar Giles

Release Date: April 21, 2015

The one secret she cares about keeping—her identity—is about to be exposed. Unless Lauren "Panda" Daniels—an anonymous photoblogger who specializes in busting classmates and teachers in compromising positions—plays along with her blackmailer's little game of Dare or . . . Dare.

But when the game turns deadly, Panda doesn't know what to do. And she may need to step out of the shadows to save herself . . . and everyone else on the Admirer's hit list. 

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Waiting on Wednesday (146)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

99 Days by Katie Cotugno

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Book Haul (#99)

Hey,

I hope you guys have all been well and I'm sorry for being so absent in the book blogging world. I haven't read a book in weeks and this I can only blame on myself... and well school! But I've got some amazing books to show you!

These past few weeks I've received:

Looking For Alaska by John Green - Received - 
Thank you Harper Collins! I was so surprised to receive this and I'm very thankful. The cover is gorgeous.
The Originals: The Rise - Received -
KLAUSKLAUSKLAUS!!!!!!!! Thank you Hachette Children's Books! I am completely in love with The Originals and I can't wait to get stuck into this.

Leave a link to your Book Haul/Stacking the Shelves/Letterbox Love/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday in the comments below so I can check it out!

Enjoy your books,
Sam

Waiting on Wednesday (145)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Rogue (Talon #2) by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: April 28, 2015

Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can't forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he'd signed his own death warrant. 

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order's headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember's own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George. 

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Waiting on Wednesday (144)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher 
Release Date: May 19, 2015

It all begins when Ana Watson's little brother, Clayton, secretly ditches the quiz bowl semifinals to go to the Washingcon sci-fi convention on what should have been a normal, résumé-building school trip.

If slacker Zak Duquette hadn't talked up the geek fan fest so much, maybe Clayton wouldn't have broken nearly every school rule or jeopardized Ana’s last shot at freedom from her uptight parents.

Now, teaming up with Duquette is the only way for Ana to chase down Clayton in the sea of orcs, zombies, bikini-clad princesses, Trekkies, and Smurfs. After all, one does not simply walk into Washingcon.

But in spite of Zak's devil-may-care attitude, he has his own reasons for being as lost as Ana-and Ana may have more in common with him than she thinks. Ana and Zak certainly don’t expect the long crazy night, which begins as a nerdfighter manhunt, to transform into so much more… 

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Waiting on Wednesday (143)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

Release Date: February 10, 2015

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner. 

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

I feel like this book is going to be emotional. I don't read many suicide books but I think this one has an interesting story to tell.

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Interview and Review: The Spark and the Drive

Hey guys!

Today I'm here to show you a wonderful contemporary book that you may have missed in the year of 2014: The Spark and the Drive by Wayne Harrison. Below is the cover and blurb, as well as my review of the book and an interview with the author himself!

The Spark and the Drive by Wayne Harrison

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Justin Bailey is seventeen when he arrives at the shop of legendary muscle car mechanic Nick Campbell. Anguished and out of place among the students at his rural Connecticut high school, Justin finds in Nick, his captivating wife Mary Ann, and their world of miraculous machines the sense of family he has struggled to find at home.

But when Nick and Mary Ann’s lives are struck by tragedy, Justin’s own world is upended. Suddenly Nick, once celebrated for his mechanical genius, has lost his touch. Mary Ann, once tender and compassionate to her husband, has turned distant. As Justin tries to support his suffering mentor, he finds himself drawn toward the man’s grieving wife. Torn apart by feelings of betrayal, Justin must choose between the man he admires more than his own father and the woman he yearns for.

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Review:
The Spark and the Drive is a contemporary novel that hits home the meaning of first love and betrayal. It is easy to fall into the life of Justin as he struggles to find a place where he belongs until he has the chance to work with famous mechanic Nick Campbell. He teaches Justin everything he needs to know as well as making him feel part of a family with his wife Mary Ann and their son. But soon things begin to unravel and Nick begins to lose his hold of his legendary mechanic status, Justin finds himself slowly falling for Mary Ann. And this, my friends, is the plot line that appealed to me in the first place. A complex story of love and betrayal has been woven beautifully by Harrison into a captivating novel that you will devour in one sitting.

I enjoyed the main protagonist of the story Justin as he was likable, real, and so believable as a character. It's not easy to write from the point of view of an eighteen-year-old and to capture their thoughts, feelings and decisions, but Harrison did so brilliantly. We are opened to Justin's life as, once so simple, grows to be much more complicated than anyone could of imagined. We witness his internal struggles as he fights between his wants and what he knows is wrong. 

Overall, I would recommend The Spark and the Drive for those who like to read contemporary novels with depth and plenty of tension to keep you hooked. This story is perfect if you're also looking to experience flawless writing by an impressive debut author.

Rating

A review copy was provided by the author
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Now bring your hands together for Wayne Harrison!

What or who inspired you to write The Spark and the Drive?
I published a short story in The Atlantic about a celebrity mechanic, Nick Campbell, whose technical genius and capacity for imagination transcended his work and gave him a mythic reputation around town. Justin, the narrator, is Nick's perfect witness, young and idealistic, and when Nick's talent starts to wane, when he and his wife suffer the tragedy of losing their baby to SIDS, Justin steps in to try and help but ends up, both intentionally and unintentionally, causing havoc. Afterward, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters, and when the story made it into Best American 2010, a number of agents asked if I had thought about developing the story into a novel. The writing came pretty quickly once the love affair began and the betrayals started piling up, and the storyline became one of those wonderful obsessions writers sometimes discover. I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't writing.

What message are you trying to get across to the readers with your story?
I don't really think about messages in my work, and it seems very easy to become heavy- handed that way. I do hope that whatever messages a reader might take will feel organic and true. Themes I found myself exploring and developing throughout the book were, of course, coming of age, but also displacement, loss, disillusionment and dreams, hero worship, love and loss.

Who is your favourite character from the book?
Mary Ann, the wife of Justin's mentor, would have to be my favorite. She was both the most challenging character and the one I felt most sympathy for. Her heart break wasn't hard to imagine - all parents to some degree are terrified of their children falling victim to something as shocking and mysterious as SIDS - but add to that a husband who has turned frigid, and her grief became profound. She could become consumed by it or survive, and her turning to Justin for comfort and intimacy was a challenge to dramatize accurately. I don't believe that characters must be portrayed as sympathetic, but in the case of Mary Ann, I badly wanted her to be. In some ways I felt I owed it to her, after all she'd been through.

If The Spark and the Drive were to become a movie or TV series, who would you pick to play the main roles in the book?
Great question. All the main characters would, I think, require actors capable of evoking a full spectrum of emotion. Perhaps Ryan Gosling as Nick, the maverick mechanic, brilliant but inarticulate, reticent but full of pathos, driven but powerless in the face of his grief. Natalie Portman as Mary Ann, dignified and confident, tough and candid, vibrant, then demoralized, broken. Josh Hutcherson as Justin, eager, hopeful and sincere. I think he captures the torment of heartbreak especially well.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
Right now I'm acually at work on two books. The first is a literary thriller that mines my past job in Corrections. It's about a female corrections officer named Lynn, whose understanding of the criminal mind makes her very good at her job. Her husband is in a rock band that's on the brink of a major record deal, until the lead guitarist is arrested for murdering his wife. Though he has confessed in writing to the crime, he hasn't spoken a word. He's brought into Lynn's jail awaiting sentencing. Lynn finds herself doubting his guilt, and taking outrageous chances that threaten her job and her marriage to prove his innocence.

The second book is a Young Adult novel about a 14 year old boy who has been training to be the youngest person in the world to rock climb El Capitan. (Rock climbing is another of my passions.) When he finds out he has multiple sclerosis he is driven to outrageous free-soloing climbs (climbing big walls without a rope) that threaten not only his life but the lives of those he loves most.

Lastly, sum up in 10 words why you think readers should pick up your book.
Can I chose another author's words? Peter Orner, in his generous blurb, calls the novel, "As intense and well-written a love story as you’ll find."

Don't forget to add The Spark and the Drive to your Goodreads TBR list and you can find Wayne on his website or on his Facebook.

Have a good week,
Sam 

Book Feature and Giveaway: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Hello there!

I'm here today to show you a book that may have darted under your radar at the beginning of the month. A book that you may have never realised you wanted to read because you were yet to know that it existed. Ally Carter has released a new book series that was available from February 5 this year: All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1). YES ANOTHER SERIES! I absolutely adored the Gallagher Girls series so I couldn't believe that I hadn't known Carter had this series to come.

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) by Ally Carter

Release Date: February 5, 2015

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon | The Book Depository

Grace can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay - in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved. 

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Sounds good right? And to make things even better, Miss Sporty has partnered with Hachette Children's Books and have come up with some brilliant nail tutorials for each of the Gallagher Girls. They will be available on the back of each of the re-issued Gallagher Girls series, but I've got one for you today! Here is Cammie's Floral Manicure:

Hachette Children's Books has kindly provided a copy of All Fall Down as well as 3 pieces of Miss Sporty make up for a giveaway. This competition is open to UK only. To enter fill out the Rafflecopter below.

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED**
Winner: Moonlight
Thank you all for entering!

Good luck to everyone who's entered!
Sam