Meandering Monday- Jon Skovron signing recap

The other day, I made the small trek to Richmond, VA to see Jon Skovron talk about and sign his new novel, Misfit, which I reviewed on the day of the signing. Susan of Wastepaper Prose and I had made plans to hang out with Jon beforehand at a really cool diner called The Village Cafe. It was an awesome time, even though I got a bit lost and arrived late. We chatted about a bunch of things- what we were reading, TV shows, the importance of blurbs on books (Jon was actually reading an upcoming book to give his first blurb to), among many other things.

When we finished at the cafe, we all took our separate cars over to Fountain Bookstore and the signing got started after a bit. It was a small turnout- 4 other people as well as Susan and I- but it was nice to have an intimate setting because there was some good back-and-forth talking and discussion of Jon's book and all the mythology behind it. I also found out that Misfit could be the start of a trilogy, though it stands pretty good on its own, in case the other two books don't happen.

Once the talk and QnA was over, Jon got ready to sign some books. I went up first and Jon was kind enough to give me several of the Misfit bookmarks and postcards he had brought to give out, so if you get a package from me, I'll be including those. They're really pretty and I love how Jon did them. After he signed my book, I chatted with Susan for a bit until the other people left. Susan was kind enough to take a photo of Jon and I, and Jon wanted to try a certain expression for the photo. He chose serious, but he doesn't seem to be doing a serious face; he may have still been telling me not to smile, lol.

After my photo was taken, I took one of Susan and Jon. They did two expressions- mean and then extremely happy. Obviously the one I'm showing is the extremely happy one. When that was done, we all got ready to head out; Jon and I had two hour drives ahead of us, and Susan had plans for the evening. But that didn't stop Susan and I from chatting for a few minutes at our cars about books and blogging. She was also kind enough to give me her extra copies of Without Tess by Marcella Pixley and Between the Sky and the Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore, both of which I'm really excited about, especially Jaclyn's because I loved Magic Under Glass and have been eagerly waiting to read this for over a year now (she told me about it at ALA last summer). All in all, it was a really fun day and I'm so glad I was able to go.


All photos courtesy of the fabulous Susan from Wastepaper Prose.

Misfit by Jon Skovron

Misfit by Jon Skovron
"Jael Thompson has never really fit in. She's changed schools too many times to count. The only family she's ever known is her father, a bitter ex-priest who never lets her date and insists she attend the strictest Catholic school in Seattle. And her mother--well, she was a five thousand year old demon. That doesn't exactly help.

But on her sixteenth birthday, her father gives her a present that brings about some unexpected changes. Some of the changes, like strange and wonderful powers and the cute skater boy with a knack for science, are awesome. But others, like the homicidal demon seeking revenge on her family? Not so much.

Steeped in mythology, this is an epic tale of a heroine who balances old world with new, science with magic, and the terrifying depths of the underworld with the ordinary halls of high school."- summary from Amazon

I loved Skovron's debut so much and was really excited to read his second book, which is a complete 180 from Struts and Frets, and this book is just as good. I loved how he created the demon world and backstory; it was really interesting to learn more about Jael's past throughout the book.

Jael was a wonderful main character and even though the story is told in third person, I felt connected to her. There wasn't a distance or anything like there can be with third person novels. Her romance with the cute skater boy was awesome to read and felt realistic, despite all the demon and paranormal stuff going on.

Overall, it's just a really compelling standalone paranormal story with some great characters (LOVED Jael's uncle Dagon- so funny!) and a fast-paced plot. A great sophomore effort from Skovron! Definitely a book to check out if you like paranormal, but if you prefer contemporary, please check out his amazing debut, Struts and Frets.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Sleepless by Cyn Balog

Sleepless by Cyn Balog
"Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .

Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?"- summary from Amazon

I really enjoyed this book, like I did with Balog's debut Fairy Tale. There's just something really engaging about the prose and the voice of her characters. Although I will say that I originally wasn't a big fan of Eron's chapters because they were a bit boring and teaching Griffin was a bit awkward to read about, but a few chapters in, I became really engrossed in both POVs. I think it may have been because Julia became more of an entity in Eron's chapters once he started becoming human. The voices are really distinct and it's fun to see both sides of what's happening.

I love that Balog used Sandmen because I've never seen it in any other YA (though I'm sure I'm just not educated enough, lol) so it made the book more original. The mythology behind it was really interesting and I liked learning about the craft of it. The ending seemed a bit abrupt in how quickly things turn around, but I'm not too hung up on it.

Overall, this is just a really fun, quick summer read and it's out in paperback now, which is even better! I look forward to reading Starstruck and anything else Balog writes.

Cyn Balog will be signing copies of her books at the PAYA Festival later this month, so be sure to stop by if you're in the area!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit will go toward funding contests.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
"The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy."- summary from Amazon

For me, this book didn't suck me in right away. It took a while before I got invested in the characters and engrossed with the prose. Once I got into it though, the pages did fly by. When stuff starts getting revealed and magic starts happening, it becomes a thrilling adventure.

I loved the whole concept and story behind the Near Witch that Schwab used. It was an interesting tale and the connection to the moor was really cool. I did like Lexi as a main character- she was really spunky and smart, and I enjoyed reading her scenes with Cole (i.e. the mysterious boy). I did really hate some of the characters in the town of Near, like Tyler and Bo. Like, seriously; I wanted to punch them in the face.

I don't really know what else to say about this book. It was hard enough writing a review. It's a good book, but I wasn't as amazed by it as others were. I will definitely keep Schwab as an author to keep up with though because I did see potential and her next book sounds really interesting.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Meandering Monday

I'm getting ready for my first day of work, which is tomorrow (eep!), so just a few links today of stuff I've been participating in:

Emily's Reading Room has been running this really cool feature called Blogger Confidential, the idea for which she got from my friend Susan of Wastepaper Prose and her awesome Author Insight series. It's basically bloggers talking about blogging and reading issues! There's been three posts so far- an introduction of the bloggers, how we define success, and the latest, which is all about blogger behavior. There's still quite a few questions left, so keep checking back for new posts!

A wonderful new blogger Grace of Words Like Silver asked to do an interview with me and of course I said yes! You can read the interview now and see my thoughts on blogger entitlement, my reading style, blogger/publisher relationships and my cats, among many other things! While you're at it, check out the rest of the blog- it's really good!

Also, today's the last day to enter my Forever contest, where two winners will receive a copy of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater and a Forever keychain. I've been using my Forever keychain even though I only have three keys and I love it!! The contest ends tonight at 9pm EST!

Wish me luck on my first day!!