For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
"In the dystopian future of For Darkness Shows the Stars, a genetic experiment has devastated humanity. In the aftermath, a new class system placed anti-technology Luddites in absolute power over vast estates—and any survivors living there.

Elliot North is a dutiful Luddite and a dutiful daughter who runs her father’s estate. When the boy she loved, Kai, a servant, asked her to run away with him four years ago, she refused, although it broke her heart.

Now Kai is back. And while Elliot longs for a second chance with her first love, she knows it could mean betraying everything she’s been raised to believe is right."- summary from Amazon

I put this book off way too long. I finally read it because I was seeing Peterfreund at an event, and even though they're not related, I wanted to have it done before the companion book came along. I absolutely adored this book. I've never read Persuasion but looking over its summary, I can see the similarities. It's also written in a similar style to Austen, I felt; not completely, but there is more of a formal nature to the prose.

Elliott is a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed reading her story, especially the bits in between chapters showing letters between her and Kai over the years. It was really cute to see those and really get a glimpse into their interactions and friendship. I also want to say that I hated her father and wanted to just kill him throughout the entire book.

I thought Peterfreund did a good job setting up this post-apocalyptic world and explaining everything without it seeming like slogging through a ton of details. It's an interesting world and there's some great reveals throughout the book. I liked seeing Elliott and Kai together and Peterfreund wrote their back-together scenes beautifully, really showing the tug of war inside each of them. They obviously both want the other, but there's a lot of hurt and pain to get through before that can happen. It's handled so well.

Overall, a fantastic book and I strongly recommend it. I'm excited to read the companion book, which is based on The Scarlet Pimpernel (another book I've never read, lol).

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

Blog Tour- The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler

I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler. Here's a little bit about the book and then I've got an interesting little guest post from Sonia.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

The Dark Between, a supernatural romance about the powers that lie in the shadows of the mind, is perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan, Alyxandra Harvey, and Libba Bray.

In The Dark Between, Elsie Atherton has a passion for photography. Female photographers weren’t that common in 1901, but they certainly did exist. Some even made a profession out of it.

Women have been involved with photography since the earliest cameras were in use. Most often they were wives or family members of photographers, and they acted as assistants. In England, women began to independently explore photography as an art form in the middle of the 19th century. By the early 20th century, one could find professional female photographers throughout Europe and America.

For Elsie, the most influential female photographer was Julia Margaret Cameron, who worked to elevate portrait photography to a serious art form. In The Dark Between, Elsie is particularly fond of photographs like Alethea, a portrait of Alice Liddel (who was famous for inspiring Alice in Wonderland) and “Maud” (see below), which illustrated Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.

credit: commons.wikimedia.org
Learn more about early female photographers.

Next time, we’ll talk about the strange phenomenon of Spirit Photography . . .


There's also a giveaway being held on Sonia's website where you can enter the various code words given at each tour stop. My code word is PORTRAIT.
- Contest open to U.S. only
- Readers can enter multiple times if they visit each blog on the tour and submit an entry with the various secret codes; one entry per person per code word.

Blog Tour- The Secret Side of Empty by Maria Andreu

I'm so pleased to be a part of the pre-publication blog tour for The Secret Side of Empty by Marie Andreu. Here's a little bit about the book:

It's the story of a teen girl that is American in every way except for in one very important way: on paper. She was brought to the U.S. as a baby without proper documentation, so she's "illegal." As the end of the safe haven of her high school days draw near, she faces an uncertain future. Full of humor and frustration and love, The Secret Side of Empty speaks to the part in all of us that has felt excluded or has had a secret too scary to share. What M.T., the main character, finally discovers is the strength of the human spirit and the power that's unleashed when you finally live the truth.


and I've got a nice little interview with the author Maria Andreu:

1) What was the inspiration for The Secret Side of Empty?

The Secret Side of Empty is the story of a high school senior who is undocumented or “illegal.” It gives an inside glimpse into a life people don’t usually get to see. What is it like to be considered “illegal” in the only country you’ve ever called home? It presents issues most people don’t even fathom – no social security number, no college, no job, no real future.

I was undocumented as a child and teenager. Unlike M.T., the main character of The Secret Side of Empty, I crossed the Mexican border as an 8-year-old. (She came over as a baby). I vividly remember what it felt like to feel unworthy to be here. As soon as I got my residency papers (thanks to an amnesty) I worked hard to forget all that. But the story kept coming back to me and finally it served as inspiration for The Secret Side of Emtpy.


2) What are you currently working on? Can you tell us anything about it?

I am learning that I like stories about characters that society might consider marginalized. My second novel, which I’m halfway through, is about a girl who enters into what most would consider a bad relationship. I tell it from her perspective, showing how deeply one can feel that the wrong relationship is right for us. It’s a journey of self-discovery and learning to love oneself enough to make good choices. At its heart it is a love story.

Simultaneously I’m also working on a memoir. I like to say both books are racing each other – some days I’m inspired to work on one, on others the other.


3) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor(s)? Or, if you don't like those, your favorite snack to have while writing or as a reward for writing?

I feel like if you’re asking the jelly bean question jelly beans must be important to you, so I don’t want to dis jelly beans! I don’t have a favorite food, necessarily. I am fairly obsessive about my tea, though. I don’t feel complete without a cup of Earl Gray with lemon and stevia. I’m very particular about my tea preparation. It’s my one “finicky” thing.


4) What book(s) are you currently reading, or are about to start? Any upcoming reads you're excited about?

I am reading Why We Write, which could be the most insanely inspiring book I’ve read in a decade. It’s a series of essays by successful writers about (you guessed it) why they write, as well as the challenges they face. They all come across as so human, so in the process that I’m in, that it bolsters my own confidence in myself as a writer. I think every writer should carry a copy around with them everywhere they go.

I’m also about to start The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Because… you guessed it… I want to get better about writing more consistently. I write just about every day on my blog but sometimes my long projects can gather dust. Then I go on a bender. I want to make more time for them.


5) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Pages and pages worth! If I have to condense it it’s this: the main thing that makes you a writer is your decision that you are one. No one needs to give you a special tiara or a certificate that says you are. Craft can be learned, feedback can be sought out, but the decision that you’re going to write is yours alone. There is no “right” way, no one has anything you don’t have. Only you can give the world the unique blend of words that are yours. So get writing.

Read more of my work at http://mariaeandreu.com


Maria's also running an awesome giveaway with this tour. For a chance to win the $250 Amazon gift card, OR the Kindle Fire leave a comment on her blog post for that day. Winners will be randomly selected on September 30th.

Maria’s writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post and the Star Ledger. Her debut novel, The Secret Side of Empty, is the story of an “illegal” high school senior. It was inspired by Maria’s own experiences as an undocumented teen. Since becoming a citizen, Maria has run her own business and has become a soccer mom. She lives with her 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son in northern New Jersey.

Preorder The Secret Side of Empty- http://amzn.to/17LaXLX
Maria Andreu’s website- http://mariaeandreu.com/
Maria Andreu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritersideofM
Maria Andreu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.andreu.books

Infinityglass by Myra McEntire + Contest

Infinityglass by Myra McEntire
"The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series.

The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways.

Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time trav­elers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.

With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does.

But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?"- summary from Amazon

I absolutely love this series and was so excited to get an early look (at the time- I read it in July though the review is just going up now) of the final book. I've been eagerly awaiting it since finishing Timepiece and it's just so good.

My only problem with going into this and Timepiece is that so much happens in each book and each one has a different narrator that it was a little difficult starting the book. Things would be mentioned and I'd be so confused; McEntire does do some background and especially with the addition of a new character, past events are brought up to bring her up to speed, but sometimes I was a little bit lost.

Anyway, I loved the dual perspective and McEntire employs it very well. I really enjoyed getting into the mindsets of Dune and Hallie and reading about their lives and backstories. There's some interesting reveals and wonderfully written action scenes, but there's also a sizzling romance (a bit too insta-love though) and great chemistry between the two. Lots of humor and witty banter as well which I always enjoy.

Overall, a fantastic conclusion to the series. If you've not read this trilogy yet, get on it! I cannot wait to read what McEntire writes next!

Courtesy of Egmont USA and Media Masters Publicity, I have a hardcover copy of Infinityglass and an Infinityglass poster to give away to a lucky winner! US residents only! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, Sept 11 at 9pm EST.

Myra McEntire has had her nose in a book since she could hold one. She was once caught reading in the shower (true story) and only stopped when her father disconnected the hot water heater. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and two boys. You can visit her online at www.myramcentire.com or follow her on twitter at @MyraMcEntire. You can visit her on Facebook and Tumblr too.

Blog Tour- Thornhill by Kathleen Peacock

Rockstar Book Tours

Mac can’t lose another friend. Even if he doesn’t want to be found.

The ripple effect caused by Mac’s best friend Amy’s murder has driven Mac’s new love, Kyle, to leave Hemlock and disappear from her life forever. But Mac knows that Kyle plans to enroll in a rehabilitation camp, where he can live with other werewolves. She refuses to accept his decision, especially since the camps are rumored to be tortuous. So she sets out in search of Kyle with a barely sober Jason—and Amy’s all-seeing ghost—in tow.

Clues lead Mac to find Kyle in a werewolf den in Colorado—but their reunion is cut short by a Tracker raid. Now Mac and Kyle are trapped inside the electric fences of Thornhill, a camp for young werewolves. As she devises an escape plan, Mac uncovers dangerous secrets buried within the walls of Thornhill—and realizes that the risk to the people she loves is greater than ever before.

Buy the book at: Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Add it on Goodreads.

So apparently I never reviewed Hemlock, even though I absolutely adored it. When I signed up for this blog tour, there was a question asking for the link to a Hemlock review. I spent half an hour trying to find one; for some reason, I never got around to writing one. How weird is that? But I really loved the first book and have been eagerly awaiting this second one. It does not disappoint.

The action picks up pretty much shortly after Hemlock ends. With the way it ends, it makes sense. I loved coming back into this world and these characters and Peacock does a great job of recapping the events of the first book without it seeming out of place. Mac is a strong main character and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole journey. A lot happens in this book and it's very suspenseful. There's some interesting twists and turns, and luckily, there isn't a cliffhanger with this book like there was with the first. The adventure is over for now but I'm sure the third book has some fantastic surprises coming.

Overall, a wonderful, unique series about werewolves continues on a great path. I highly recommend this book and its prequel, and I cannot wait for the final book!

Kathleen Peacock spent her teen years crushing on authors and writing short stories about vampires. She put her writing dreams on hold while attending college, but tripped over them when office life started leaving her with an allergy to cubicles. Her debut, HEMLOCK was published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of Harper Collins, with the sequel Thornhill out now, and was published in the UK under the title DEADLY HEMLOCK from Simon and Schuster Children’s Books.

Website/Facebook/Blog/Twitter/Goodreads


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Tour Schedule:
Week 1
9/2/2013- Book Chic- Review
9/3/2013- In the Best Worlds- Interview
9/4/2013- Fall Into Books- Guest Post
9/5/2013- Portrait of a Book- Interview
9/6/2013- The Book Life- Review

Week 2
9/9/2013- The Reader's Antidote- Guest Post
9/10/2013- Auntie Spinelli Reads- Review
9/11/2013- The Book Belles- Review
9/12/2013- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
9/13/2013- Mundie Moms- Interview