Wednesday, February 26, 2014

YA Re-tellings (Epic Reads)


Right now I'm in a serious re-telling funk. I'm just obsessed with fairytale retellings and seeing all the differences and darkness between the Disney versions and Grimm's versions.

Just this year I've been flying through books like Cinder and Beastly and ad Red Riding Hood like a jet. There's something that's just so incredible about making a once too perfect story where fairytale endings prevail and evil stepmothers are out to ruin the young protagonist's life, into a dark twisted novel where the young protagonist is a dark character with so much more meaning than to just play dress up and marry a prince. It would take absolutely forever to name all these re-tellings but thanks to Team Epic Reads, I DON'T HAVE TO! They did that all for me and I have a chart of most of them.






FAIRY TALES

YA RETELLINGS - Fairy Tales - Brought to you by Epic Reads

CLASSICS
YA RETELLINGS - Classic Lit - Brought to you by EpicReads!

SHAKESPEARE

YA RETELLINGS - Shakespeare - Brought to you by EpicReads!

MYTHOLOGY
YA RETELLINGS - Mythology- Brought to you by EpicReads


SYDNEY'S FAVORITE RE-TELLING READS: 
Beauty and the Beast:
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Cinderella: 
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Little Red Riding Hood: 
Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Rapunzel: 
Cress by Marissa Meyer




Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Pre-Order Divergent Movie Tickets Announcement

 

Remember remember REMEMBER to pre-order your movie tickets for Divergent on March 4! The movie only comes out on March 21, but you can bet your buttons that it'll be sold out within a couple days. 

Be part of your own town's red carpet premiere at a local theater and meet the cast! Down below is the list of red carpet screenings of Divergent which will also include an appearance of the cast! Get excited initiates!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Return of YALLFest

Guess what guys! YALLFest returns this November to Charleston SC for another day of amazing panels, signings and pie. More info on this event will be released soon, but I can firmly announce that YALLFest will return November 8th, with it's premiere night November 7th. We don't have firm info on who will be the Keynote author this year but there was a little spoiler...thank you Epic Reads...that James Dashner (Author of the acclaimed Maze Runner series) will be our Keynote Speaker! So excited!

I am so excited for this year's 40 or so authors to be announced; tickets will be sold soon and we'll have a link up when they do. We may even do a giveaway for some Keynote Tickets in the future. To see the website for YALLFest click the link below.



If you live in the Charleston area and would like to volunteer, click the link below. 



*If you would like to be Press at this event, contact info below* 

Jonathan Sanchez, Blue Bicycle Books Jonathan@bluebicyclebooks.com, (843) 722-2666

*Press for Bloggers* 

Jen Lamoureux, yallfestbloggers@gmail.com 



Map of YallFest Below

Monday, February 17, 2014

*GIVEAWAY* Glass Casket Giveaway on The Midnight Garden

If you love fairytales like I absolutely do, you'll enjoy this new novel that is a twist between Beauty and the Beast, Litte Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty.

To see the entire post and enter the giveaway, head to The Midnight Garden blog and enter the giveaway and read the guest post for this book.

Retelling Fairy Tales: guest post + The Glass Casket giveaway


{The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman}

{Published by Delacorte Press on February 11, 2014
{Genres: fairy tale}
{Pages: 352} 
{Format: ARC} 
{Source: Publisher

Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest, disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.

Rowan's village was once a tranquil place, but now things have changed. Something has followed the path those riders made and has come down from the hills, through the forest, and into the village. Beast or man, it has brought death to Rowan's door once again.

Only this time, its appetite is insatiable.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

*GIVEAWAY* Across the Universe GIVEAWAY

Hey Guys! Enter our very FIRST Giveaway! Thankfully, the snow didn't stop us from being able to go to an amazing book signing today in Charlotte, which means we were able to get some swag signed and ready to give. We have one (1) copy of Across the Universe (SIGNED) by Beth Revis herself! We also have some other awesome swag, including a (SIGNED) Skylark bookmark by Meagan Spooner! This contest is (US ONLY). Maybe eventually we will be able to an international one.



This Contest will end in 43 Days, so get entering!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, February 14, 2014

Kiera Cass Tour Dates

We are SO excited for Kiera Cass! All during June, Kiera will be doing a solo tour; see if she's coming anywhere near you! More info to come!




SOLO TOUR: JUNE 9-12!

June 9

Decatur, GA

June 10

Blue Bicycle Books, time to come
Charleston, SC

June 11

Cary, NC

June 12

Fiarless Hills, PA


 

Author Cancellation for *Fight for the Future Tour*

As far as we know tomorrow's 'Fight for the Future' tour stop in Charlotte, NC is still on. There is unfortunately one author cancellation. Sadly, all flights were cancelled and author Lissa Price will not be able to attend. She says not to worry, she will be sending bookplates, bookmarks and other swag to grab at the event despite her not being able to be there.

We'll keep you updated should any more cancellations occur. Should this event be cancelled or rescheduled we will let you know. I do believe you can still call any of the bookstores and request a signed copy if you will not be able to make it.

To find the list of Tour stops and dates click HERE

Park Road Books
Park Road Shopping Center
4139 Park Road
Charlotte, NC 



Tuesday, February 11, 2014

*BOOK ARC REVIEW* Panic by Lauren Oliver

As promised here is my ARC book review of Panic by Lauren Oliver! To make it easier because it is an incredibly long review, I broke it down into categories. 



{Published by 3/4/14 by Harper Collins}
{416 Pages}
{AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver}

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.


~Sydney's Review~ 

"Are you going to die Heather?" 
IN PANIC, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.  

First off I'll say that I'm a real big fan of Lauren Oliver's Delirium series; in effect making me fangirl when I saw the new book and this AMAZING cover! 



COVER:

The cover is just so hauntingly beautiful. This is definitely one of my favorite covers being that it's so different from the colorful covers of her other books. I think Lauren has a fetish with faces on her covers just as Nicolas Sparks is enduring with the kissing couples. 

SUMMARY:

The summary of Panic was in the least, mediocre. When I read it I proceeded to assume things that weren't exactly true. I thought that Heather and Dodge would meet each other and eventually be bound in a relationship. They do meet but they barely talk to each other, acting as more of an acquaintance than friends. The story actually was more about each of their separate lives rather than their combined relationship. 
In Heather's case her mother, Krista, is a drunk and a drug addict and her stepfather Bo, is exactly the same. What little you see of them is just enough to want to jump into the story and knock some sense into them. They're senseless, oblivious human beings, with no sense of emotion towards the effect they're drinking, smoking, drug use and partying has on their two daughters. They live in a crappy trailer park where the rest of the drugees live and the capital party trailer is set, the place to be if you're looking to get high. You constantly see Heather being the mother of her little sister rather than Krista. 

Dodge's family is split. His mother is another kind of addict and is infamous for how many  different boyfriends she can bring home. Dodge's older sister is sadly, a cripple in a wheel chair, her legs completely immobile, thanks to Panic. 


Seriously...




THE GAME:

Now on to Panic. The game no one knows who started, lasts the entire summer, and requires children to do dangerous stunts. These stunts are all based around drilling into its players and on-lookers, Panic. There are usually 2-3 judges that create the challenges that need to be completed, sending out betting slips and threatening texts, all to narrow down the competition. Some of these challenges are just fear instilling challenges, like jumping off a cliff into rock infested waters, and spending the night in a supposedly haunted house. Then there are those that push the limits, like entering a tiger's cage for instance and playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette. 
Through the story my stomach continued to knot up and I kept thinking to myself, "Oh jeez, it's panic." 
This book has the ability to create real panic in the minds of it's readers. It honestly gave me little bursts of adrenaline every time there was a new challenge. There were absolutely no dry-spells through this. There were persistent humorous quotes. 

HUMOR:

You can honestly see the humorous relationship Dodge has with his sister, and you can see that he really loves her. Heather and Dodge have a strong love for their siblings, which drives them to compete and win Panic. 
"When he was five, they'd used to bottle their farts and tried to sell them."
Dodge, PG 61 








LOCATION:

This story though did confuse me in a sense that as much as I tried, I could not grasp a mental image of Carp what so ever. There are ritzy neighborhoods, with trailer parks just a walk a way, meth row with a sea of broken down cars in its midst right near a gun crazy lunatic's house. It's like there's too many factors being mixed together and no clear sense of direction. Maybe Lauren can draw a map of Carp or something to put in the front of the book. I could easily imagine each location separately, but all together...there's not a chance. It honestly confused the crap out of me. Delirium had clear direction and was easy to imagine as a whole. Panic failed to do that. 


CHARACTER & RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT:

I did enjoy the character development and the relationship between the four friends. They all grow throughout the book, in ways you can't even imagine. I'm not going to get into the relationship between Heather, Dodge, Bishop and Natalie. It's so twisted and confusing that I had to (multiple times) just put down the book and stare at the wall, trying to sort their relationships out. Okay, maybe I will go into it a little. It is a review after all. 

Bishop, Natalie and Heather have been long time friends before Dodge comes in and joins their group. Bishop and Heather had a past fling but continue to flirt with each other non-stop throughout the entire story. Like literally... GET TOGETHER ALREADY!
Natalie is something else. She's a little bit of a priss, extremely girly-girl and completely and utterly willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. 
Heather and Dodge are both unbelievably complex characters with lots of deep emotion and unbearably tough live. 

Something similar happens to both Dodge and Heather. An incident along the same lines happens between Heather and Bishop as it does with Natalie and Dodge, this made my stomach turn. I honestly wanted to throw the book against the wall, I could not get what the heck was going on. The relationships were just stupid and ridiculous. They made no sense and had no real plausibility. I really wanted Heather and Bishop to be together, don't get me wrong, but it was just so annoying at some point I gave up any hope of them being in a normal relationship. They go from liking each other and flirting, to kissing at one point and being separate, heart-broken, and mad at each other to from the top, loving each other and kissing again. There was no real apology for what happened between them, for the fighting and stupidity. There was just a lot of explanation, given too quickly and even more anger. Their relationship, like the town's layout baffled me and gave me a headache trying to sort out. SOOO...besides their relationship being jacked, I'm moving on with this review. 


CHARACTER MOTIVATION: 

Some people don't really think about character motivation when reviewing novels, but it is, in reality, the heart of the story. If the character did not do *this* the story would never unfold. The character does *this* because of something. I'll give you the one word for why, "Motivation". Motivation moves a story. Motivation to get out of bed in the morning means the difference of being late to work or school or having enough time and not having to rush. Your motivation for jumping out of a window may include something like a fire pushing in at you. Motivation is necessary for a good story. 

During Panic you really find out what these characters are made of. Dodge's motivation for playing Panic is revenge, making him willing to commit murder if it comes down to it. 
Natalie is lustful for a spot light in a world that isn't Carp. Bishop is doing it out of love for his best friend. But Heather, Heather doesn't know why she decided to play Panic. Only in the end does she realize that her motivation is her crappy life, her little sister, and the push and pull of blind emotion and grief from a breakup. 


This is my opinion is not one of Oliver's best writings, but it does show the willingness to complete challenges in acts of love and devotion. 


WRITING STYLE: 

Lauren has an incredible sense of style when writing. It measures up well when placed next to other bestsellers. I'd suggest reading Panic with an open mind, remembering that it-- though written by the same author-- will not at all resemble Delirium. 

This is a book with such deep complexity I must clap for Lauren on being able to write something so deep, juicy, and to the rim with heart-pounding action. 






SUGGESTIONS: 


I DON'T suggest this book to anyone under 12-13, based off material and language. Their are some suggestive commentary but this warning is mainly based off language. Most of the language was completely unnecessary and over-used. When made into a movie, if it keeps to the book, will undoubtedly be rated {R}. I lost count of how many times the F-bomb was dropped in even the simplest of sentences. It, in my opinions, was just too much and unnecessary. Sorry Lauren. 

I DO suggest this book to fans of An Abundance of Katherines by John Green and, The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. 


In conclusion, though there are definitely some rough edges I do think it is a reasonably good read. 


MY STORY CHECK LIST: 

  • Cover 
  • Summary 
  • Relationship Development
  • Character Development
  • Location Layout
  • Action and Humor
  • Writing Style 

Location Layout and Relationship Development left something to be desired. 













  


Fight for the Future Tour Dates

If you love futuristic novels and/or have read some of these authors than join us at one of these tour stops to get your books signed! The 'Fight for the Future' tour is from February 9th-22nd. This is a 'These Broken Stars' tour. Amie Kaughman and Meagan Spooner have some awesome guest authors traveling with them-- Margaret Stohl (Author of Icons and Co-Author of Beautiful Creatures), Marie Lu (Author of the Legend Trilogy), and Alexandra Bracken (Author of Darkest Minds),just to name a few. If you can't make it to one of these stops, contact the bookstores below ahead of time and request a signed copy. 

Meagan Spooner says that they do not have a limit as to what and how much they will sign; she draws the line at signing body parts though. Haha. She does suggest though contacting the bookstores to see the regulations about bringing in personal copies of books, since some bookstores are set on requiring you purchase a copy from them for a signing. 

The Tour Schedule


February 09

Los Angeles, CA. Mysterious Galaxy, 2:30pm
(with Marie Lu and Margaret Stohl)
                               
February 13

Asheville, NC. Malaprop's Bookstore, 7:00pm
(with Lissa Price and Jodi Meadows)

   Feburuary 15
Charlotte, NC. Park Road Books, 2:00pm(with Beth Revis, Lissa Price, and Jodi Meadows)
February 16

Richmond, VA. Fountain Bookstore, 2:00pm
(with Lissa Price and Jodi Meadows)
February 18

Alexandria, VA. Hooray for Books, 7:00pm
(with Lissa Price and Jodi Meadows)
February 22

New York, NY. Books of Wonder, 4:00pm
(with Alexandra Bracken and Dan Krokos)


Monday, February 10, 2014

*BOOK REVIEW* Starters by Lissa Price


Starters (Starters, #1)

{Published 7/23/13 by Random House Children's Books}
{384 Pages} 
{AUTHOR: Lissa Price}

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .


~Azelyn's Review~

I have to say I've never read anything quite like this book. Usually I can easily compare what I'm reading to other books, but in this case I can honestly say it is a original story. It is about 16 year old Callie, in a dystopian future where the Spore wars killed everybody between the age of 20-60, and now all that is left are Starters, people under the age of 20 and Enders those over the age of 60. Technology has allowed persons to live 200+ years, but it has also lead to Prime Destinations, a place were an Ender can rent a Starters body for a nice price. Callie is struggling to keep her and her 7 year old brother alive, so she goes to Prime Destinations to have Enders rent out her body, but something goes wrong with the chip in her head that allows the Ender to control her body. She wakes up in the life of the Ender who rented her, filthy rich and has whatever she wants. She soon discovers that the Enders reason for renting her is much more dangerous than she expected, but can she trust Prime Destinations to fix the problem? Who can she trust? Lissa Price's first novel is definitely a must read especially for fans of dystopian novels such as Divergent, Legend and The Hunger Games. 

*BOOK REVIEW* Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3)

{Published 2/4/14 by Harper Collins }
{416 Pages}
{Book Three in the Shatter Me Series}
{AUTHOR: Tahereh Mafi}

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.

~Now entering a zone that may hold spoilers~

~Azelyn's Review~

It is impossible to put into words how amazing this was. I would need more than just 26 letters to describe it. Let me start by saying that Tahereh is one of the best authors out there, she writes with a style that's all her own. It's pure poetry. For example, this quote, "Words, I think are such unpredictable creatures. No guns, no sword or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh." You don't see that kind of writing very often. It brings out new ways to put into words what the main character-- Juliette-- is thinking and feeling. I also really appreciated the character development throughout the story. Like Warner for example, he started out as someone I thought I was going to hate, but then we gradually see how that's not the case, in fact he's much, MUCH better than I was anticipating.*chapter 55* I also loved Kenji, like can we be best friends? He brings so much life to the story, and he does more than just make jokes all the time... Well okay he does make quite a few amazing come backs like, "Hey-guys? Your loin passion is grossing out the little ones." That is by far the best thing I've heard. She does a great example of having a perfect balance of humor, seriousness, and love. This is definitely a must read, I can't recommend it enough. Thank you Tahereh for this amazing series, that I'll never forget!!! 


~Aliana's Review~

SWEET NIBBLETS THAT WAS GOOD. First of all Tahereh Mafi is officially my favorite author EVER. She has such complex characters. I loved Juliette's character development through out the trilogy. We really see her grow and see her reach her full potential. I absolutely loved Warner's back story and how he went from this completely evil guy to a lovable puppy. And everyone's super powers are freakin amazing!!! I loved EVERYTHING. Favorite trilogy hands down! Now excuse me while I get over my book hangover.



Buy it from Amazon

Buy it from Barnes and Noble

Buy it from Books-A-Million


~Read the Series from the Beginning~