Cover Reveal & Giveaway: SENSHI by Cole Gibsen

Today I have something very exciting for you guys! =) First, let me tell you a little bit about Cole in her own words. "I love writing, day-old chinese food, and my nail polish is always chipped. My YA novel, KATANA, will be released, spring 2012 by Flux. You can check out my website at www.colegibsen.com Word to your mother." SENSHI is book 2, which follows KATANA.



A little about SENSHI:



After learning she is a reincarnated samurai, nearly getting killed (several times), and reuniting with a past-life soul mate, Rileigh Martin decides to put her warrior life on hold to focus on her senior year of high school.
But a reincarnated kunoichi (female ninja) has other plans—including destroying the world if Rileigh doesn’t stop her! When evil ninja assailants nearly kill Rileigh and kidnap her best friend Quentin, she must choose between saving the world and saving him. Rileigh’s only ally in this impossible quest: the spirit of a man who killed her in a past life. (From Amazon)

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Flux (March 8, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738732613
• ISBN-13: 978-0738732619
  

And now the awesome! 

So what do you think? I think it's pretty cool. She looks like she is ready to kick some butt. I love that it plays on both her strength and femininity. Now we also have a giveaway! Keep reading for details!

GIVEAWAY!

Cole is giving you the chance to win your own Shurijen Prize Pack. (Open to US residents only, but visit her blog to find the international giveaway. :) The prize pack includes two handmade felt shuriken (throwing stars) hair clips, one silicon Senshi bracelet, two Katana tattoos, and one signed bookmark.

To enter just fill out the rafflcopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Be sure to visit Cole's blog to learn more about her and SENSHI. Visit the Amazon link above to pre-order for only $9.99. Thanks for stopping by. =)

I'm (almost) back from my hiatus

Hi everyone!

I've finally graduated and have will soon have some time to get back on track with reviewing. I have read several fantastic books recently and am looking forward to quite a few others. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to see me review or post. I am always looking for feedback and ways to improve. I hope you enjoy! =)

--Raychelle

Double Cover Reveal: Touch of Death and PODs.

The first reveal is Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway which is just stunning. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but that cover really catches one's attention. The second reveal is PODs by Michelle Pickett. This is another one that really piques my interest just from the cover. Spencer Hill Press has yet to disappoint with both novels and their covers and I can't wait to dig into these. Let me know what you think of them in the comments.

Jodi Marshall isn't sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she's in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she's being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he's not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she's part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi's deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn't difficult enough, Jodi discovers she's the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can't figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

Title: Touch of Death
Author: Kelly Hashway
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.SpencerHillPress.com)
ISBN: 978-1-937053-30-7
Release Date: January 2013
List Price: $12.95
Formats: Trade Paperback, e-book
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

Title: PODs
Author: Michelle Pickett
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.SpencerHillPress.com)
ISBN: 978-1-937053-28-4
Release Date: June 2013
List Price: $12.95
Formats: Trade Paperback, e-book
Genres: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Cover Reveal: Betrayed by Ednah Walters

Ednah Walters, author of BETRAYED, has recently joined the Spencer Hill Press team. Together, they are editing and re-releasing BETRAYED. The expected publication is June of 2012. Keep reading for more information on the release as well as the cover and blurb. 

Title: Betrayed

Series: Guardian Legacy

Author: Ednah Walters

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press, www.SpencerHillPress.com

ISBN: 978-1-937053-18-5 (Trade Paper), 978-1-937053-19-2 (e-book)

Release Date: June, 2012

Here is the amazing cover and the blurb is below. =)

Blurb

Lil isn't just an average teenager. She's one of the Nephilim--the descendants of humans and angels--which gives her some serious psi skills and a mission for redemption. Just when Lil thinks she's found a balance between her normal life with human friends and her training to become a Guardian, she's warned that someone close to her will betray her. When the boy she loves starts acting strangely and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability, Lil begins to realize that someone is manipulating the people she loves... and won't stop until she's been lured to the dark side.

 

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. (From GoodReads)

My Review:
Half-Blood is one of the more unique novels that I have read recently. Jennifer L. Armentrout brings creativity and a fresh voice to the YA genre. Her writing style and world-building was captivating. As I was reading, I was able to easily visualize the scenes. The setting is as much a character as Alex and Aiden. The setting is unfamiliar, yet one can clearly visualize it. The setting reflects the mood of the scene and helps to enhance it. I loved that the writing was new and different from other authors. It definitely stands out from the rest of the genre and will entice readers and hook them from the first pages. From the synopsis, I knew that this was one that would be enjoyed and I was not disappointed. When I receive my final copy, I know that this is one that I will be reading over and over.


The characters are easy to connect with and I found myself experiencing similar emotions to Alex.  She faces many trial throughout the story and it is only the beginning. She continually overcomes them even when she doubts herself and her abilities. She has a great personality and a feisty nature which is very useful to her situations. She is fun to grow with as the novel progresses and it will be interesting to see where her story goes in the future. The love interests are very entertaining. Aiden seems to be very serious, but as readers get to know him, they will discover another side to him. He is very interesting and a literary hunk. He is charming, attractive, strong willed, and caring. Seth, on the other hand, comes off as very annoying because that is how both Alex and Aiden perceive him, but I feel that there is much more to him than we have seen. I hope more will be revealed with the release of Pure next year. I am still firmly in Aiden's team though.


There is so much more that could be said about Half-Blood, but it really is one that must be read. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I won't say anymore. I do suggest reading Daimon before Half-Blood to better understand the opening scene of the latter.

A HUGE "Thank You" to Bethzaida at Bookittyblog for sharing her ARC and hosting a book tour that allowed me to read this story before its release. =) I am really grateful that she allowed me to participate in her tour.

Don't forget that you can leave comments and questions for Jennifer L. Armentrout on her blog as well as check out her other novels in the works. If you prefer to leave them here, then I will be happy to pass them along. I hope you will share your thoughts here as well. =)


--Raychelle

*Disclaimer: This review is based on the ARC version and not the final publication.

Cover Reveal: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

In case you missed out on the awesome news, Jennifer L. Armentrout sold her novel, Obsidian, to Entangled Publishing.

The scheduled release date is currently December 6, 2011, so mark your calendars and schedule your pre-orders!

The captivating cover and official blurb are below.

Official Blurb:

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, outhouses, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring. Until I spotted my hot neighbor with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marked me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and the mark he left on me has me lit up like Las Vegas strip to the bad guys. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. If I don't kill him first, that is.

And then things got really bad…

Check out the awesome countdown widget. =)



Information on Obsidian can be found on Goodreads as well as on Entangled Publishing's website.

You will soon be able to pre-order Obsidian from Amazon.

For more information please visit Jennifer L. Armentout's blog, Goodreads author page, Twitter, and the official Covenant series website (YA novel Half-Blood releases October 18, 2011).

--Raychelle

Wolfsbane Giveaway Winner

Thank you so much to all who participated in the giveaway! I loved reading your responses. A couple of them even made me choke with laughter. =) I hope each of you enjoyed reading the other comments too. Don't be sad if you didn't win this time, there will be more giveaways soon!

And the winner, courtesy of random.org, is...

SARENA!

Congratulations Sarena! You did not leave your e-mail address, so please send me a message by Thursday at 12pm EST. Make sure you tell me whether you would like Nightshade or Wolfsbane and include your mailing address.

--Raychelle