Heather Brewer Third Strike Event and GIVEAWAY (US only)

I'm so excited to promote the amazing Heather Brewer, a local St. Louis author who has written a bunch of really fantastic books and continues to do so at an amazing rate! She also headed up the incredible Less Than Three conference this past year, an anti-bullying conference, something that I hope will continue to happen, because it was one of the most moving experiences I've ever had in my life.

Without further ado, let me tell you about the great local event happening at Left Bank Books tomorrow night!

Downtown Left Bank Books
Join us for the official Launch Party for the thrilling conclusion of Heather Brewer's Slayer Chronicles series! All secrets will be revealed as Slayer Joss McMillan tracks a murderous vampire terrorizing his hometown of Santa Clara. During his investigation, Joss comes head to head with old enemies seeking revenge and faces the truth about his sister Cecile's murder. Joss must use all of his skill to protect his loved ones, even if it means paying the ultimate price.

Parking: Lot at 10th and Olive; garage at 10th between Locust and Washington; street parking (meters free after 7pm)

About Heather Brewer: Heather Brewer was not your typical teen growing up. She wore black, danced under full moons and devoured every book in sight.
She hasn’t changed much.

Today, Heather can be found writing in her funky, black Happy Bunny jammie pants, dancing under the full moon, devouring every book in sight, and attending Renaissance Festivals in costume (and in character).

When Heather's not writing, dressing up, dancing and reading, she's answering email, she's playing on Twitter. You can find her under @heatherbrewer.


Even if you can't come to the event, you can win one of this series SIGNED by Auntie Heather, thanks to Left Bank Books! US giveaway only, guys, sorry! I'll do another INT one soon :-)

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Character interview with Sam, the swoony love interest in the INCARNATE Trilogy and GIVEAWAY!

Happy Birthday, INFINITE! Now who's ready to learn more about the swoony Sam? *raises hand* I'm so thrilled that he was able to stop by my blog today!!!

Goodreads Book Description: 

DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.

Interview with Sam from the INCARNATE trilogy

1. If you could describe Ana in five words, which words would it be?

Inspiring. Incredible. Surprising. Smart. Impulsive.  

2. What is your favorite instrument and why?

That depends. Often the piano is my favorite, but sometimes I focus on other instruments more.  

3. If you could go back and change one thing about your past lives, what would it be and why?

I wouldn't change anything. I've made a lot of mistakes and done a lot of things I wish I hadn't, but they've all been lessons I needed. Everything in my past has helped me become the person I am now.

But dying less frequently might be nice. 

4. What are your favorite and least favorite things about Heart?

They're the same thing: the community. I love having a community of people to call on for companionship and help, but sometimes they're too nosy or stubborn for their own good. Sometimes the community is more harmful than helpful, especially when it comes to newsouls. 

5. Other than Ana, who we know is your favorite person, who would you say is your best friend and why?

Stef, of course! We've been friends for so long. I can't remember a time when we weren't friends. We disagree on some things, obviously, but Stef is always looking out for me, and I am always looking out for him. 

6. Other than dragons, what is your greatest fear?

Losing the people I care about. (Sometimes those people are actually instruments.) 

7. If for some reason, you couldn't have music as a profession in any form, what would you do instead?

I would probably be dead. I really don't know what I am without music.  

8. If you composed a song for Ensconced in Lit, what would it be like?

It would begin with the fluttering of paper and low chimes, joined by a cello and clarinet. The piece would be soft, hypnotic, so as not to distract you from reading. It would be the kind of music you could listen to in the background, over and over.

Thanks so much for stopping by Sam! Ana is one really, lucky girl!

OK guys, enter to win your choice of Incarnate, Asunder, or ARC of INFINITE! $5 Amazon GC to the winner if INT!

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Review of INFINITE by Jodi Meadows + Giveaway of your choice of Incarnate, Asunder, or ARC of INFINITE!

Goodreads Book Description:

DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.

My Rating: 4.5 Couches

My Review: I've been waiting for a year to read Infinite by Jodi Meadows, the last installment of the Incarnate trilogy. I wasn't disappointed. I received this ARC from Harper Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I award this book 4.5 stars.

Infinite by Jodi Meadows takes off where Asunder left us. We are taken right to the action with Ana and Sam, as they frantically try to figure out how to prevent Janan for ascending. Ultimately, a small group of them have to leave Heart to try to figure out their ultimate plan. Will Ana sacrifice her chance for love and happiness for the greater good of all souls alike?

I don't want to say too much in the synopsis, because this final installment is chock full of really great reveals that all of us have been wondering for ages. Let's just say that every character you've loved in this series gets their due. Ana really comes into her own, Sam continues to be one of the most loveable characters in YA, and other side characters come in different forms, which really enhances the world building.

I really felt the book came into it's own around page 100. It was good up to then, don't get me wrong, but after that point, it became increasingly difficult to put it down. I loved how we got to learn more about dragons, sylphs, and phoenixes. There is one particular reveal that I loved because I never suspected there was more to it. But Meadows never forgot, and it's pretty amazing.

I really liked the ending, but it almost seemed too perfect. That said, it was really satisfying and beautifully written, so I just went with it. If a writer can get my doubting self to just disappear, that's pretty awesome.

In a world chock full of ending YA trilogies, this one stands out. It started strong and ended stronger, with a great middle installment, so as a whole, it was really great. This is hard to do. I feel like several trilogies have failed on one book or another, or disappointed me in some way. The Incarnate trilogy didn't, and I'm thrilled to add it to my very short list of must read trilogies.

Overall, a fantastic and worthy ending to the Incarnate trilogy with great characters, prose, and plot twists. Everyone needs to get their hands on this book as soon as it comes out!

Now enter a giveaway to win either a paperback of Incarnate or Asunder or ARC of INFINITE (US only) OR $5 Amazon GC if the winner is INT! 
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Tune in tomorrow to hear from Sam, the swoony love interest who's gonna visit!  

Happy Birthday, Meredith! To one of the best bloggers in the entire universe! :-)

Dear All: 
Today is Meredith's (Pandora's Books) Birthday! She has been an amazing blogger and friend.


Top 5 Reasons I love Meredith of Pandora Books
5. She is so generous. Whenever I've asked her for anything, she's always says yes, and jumps at the chance to help others.

4. She loves books. She's one of my favorite people on the twitterverse because we can chat about anything and everything, and I'll never get bored!

3. She is super creative. She loves taking an idea and taking it a step further to make it new and exciting. She's truly a blogger to watch.

2. She's very supportive of other bloggers and authors. She will do all she can to promote any of us just because she wants to!

1. She's an amazing friend. She kept hounding me to send me a wishlist of books that she could send me for Christmas, but I didn't want her to get me anything, so I didn't send her a list. Instead, she sent me this really amazing Christmas card, which was my favorite of the year. I'm so incredibly lucky to have her as a friend.

Everyone wish Meredith a happy birthday today because she seriously is that awesome! On Twitter, use the hashtag #aMERzingbday !!!!

Favorite YA Read of 2013: Review and Giveaway of These Broken Stars by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman

Goodreads Description: It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

--

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

My Review: I won a copy of this ARC from Disney Publishers, and I haven't gotten a chance to read it until now. What a mistake. This is by far my favorite YA read from 2013.

These Broken Stars, written by the duo Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, takes us to space aboard a massive luxury ship, similar to the Titanic. We immediately meet our two main characters-- Tarver, a solider, and Lilac, the daughter of the richest and most powerful man in the universe. Right away, something happens to the ship, and the two of them are stranded on a deserted planet left to forage and survive on their own without help. Slowly, something happens between them, beautiful and fragile. And in the end, Tarver and Lilac will have to make the difficult decision of giving up the wonderful peace they've found with each other to find their way back to civilization.

Any plot synopsis won't do this book justice. The way Lilac and Tarver interact is perfect. The prose is gorgeous. The world building is immense and believable. And I even went along with the science, because it's clear that these two authors have done their homework. Just fantastic. I can go on and on about the lush description, the pitch perfect characterization, and the most successfully done dual POV I have seen maybe ever in YA. I actually wonder if each voice was written by a different author, because the two voices are very unique, and I never wondered whose perspective I was in. Each scene is deliberate, ramping up the tension and the stakes, and ultimately, having us care about these two characters so much that one heart wrenching plot twist is entirely a shock to the system. I had to sit stunned for a day before I could continue, and then devoured the pages until the end to see what happened.

Overall, this book is a gem. I can't think of a single criticism, and my inner writer is salivating with jealousy. I can't say enough how people must read this book immediately. It's beautifully written, described, and characterized with perfect pacing. My favorite YA read of the past year, and I'll be waiting impatiently until I can get my hands on the next installment.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Enter the giveaway to enter an ARC of These Broken Stars, Hardback copy of These Broken Stars signed by Meagan Spooner (but addressed to me, sorry!) and a sticker with Amie Kaufman's signature, or $5 Amazon GC if winner is INT!
 
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