[Aus] Cover Reveal : Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

HEYY EVERYONE<333 Did you all miss me? heheee :) Sorry for not posting for the last two weeks; I had some very important exams/speeches/assignments etc. to do (and they all count towards my HSC soo...I decided I had better put some effort :D) Unfortunately, spending so much time studying meant I neglected my reading pile :( BUT most of my exams are done now (WOOHOO) and though I still have a few more coming up, they're all spread out over the next few weeks, which means, I HAVE TIME TO READ AND BLOG :D

Anyway, I'm here to reveal the AUS cover of STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff! 

Stormdancer

by Jay Kristoff

Published by Pan Macmillan Australia

on 21st August 2012 

A DYING LAND 

The Shima Imperium is verging on the brink of environmental collapse; decimated by 

clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshippers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red 

as blood, land choked with toxic pollution, wildlife ravaged by mass extinctions.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST 

The hunters of the imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a 

legendary beast, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows thunder tigers have been extinct for 

more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL 

Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a hidden gift that would see her executed by the 

Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a 

young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for 

company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows 

for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of 

an empire

It's the same as the UK cover, as I'm sure you've all realised :) I'm actually in love with BOTH the UK/AUS and US covers :) So, my plan is to purchase copies of both versions and then collect the rest of the series and have them ALL on my shelf :) hehee <3

You can find Jay on:

Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Find Stormdancer on:

| Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository 

Showcase Sunday 13-05-12

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky @ Books, Biscuits and Bites. Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren, the aim of this meme is to showcase our newest books!

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

I seem to be receiving doubles of so many books these days! Any Aussies who want to swap for this; give me a shout<3

The Glimpse by Claire Merle

I don't actually know too much about this; (I'm trying to not read the early reviews in case they affect my feelings about this when I read it!) BUT it's DYSTOPIAN. And that's enough to spark my interest :) Can't wait to start this!

Changeling by Philippa Gregory

*SQUEALLLLL* Philippa Gregory is one of my favourite authors! I absolutely loved her adult titles- The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess (I went through this phase where all I read was historical fiction, especially ones about the Tudor family!) I can't wait to read her YA debut! I'm certain I'll LOVE this :)

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Everyone seems to LOVE Morgan's debut Amy and Roger's Epic Detour (I have yet to read that!) Let's hope I enjoy this one :) 

Dead Time by Anne Cassidy

This was a nice surprise from Bloomsbury! Inside the package, there was also a booklet of June-Dec 2012 releases - and let me tell you..THERE'S A LOT OF FABULOUS BLOOMSBURY TITLES RELEASED SOON!Unfortunately the average rating for this on goodreads is 2.75 stars soo...I'm a little hesitant to start this :S Still..I hope it won't be a disappointment!

And the gorgeous MANDEE from YA Vegan Nerds sent me a little package filled with delicious CHOCOLATE BARS! OMG AHDIUSAHIUSAHDSAIU I LOVE YOU MANDEE!!! My exams are starting in a week, so I'll need as much sugar as I can get to help me endure this painful period of time :/ heheeee doesn't the sight of those choccie bars make your mouth water? :) 

A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster, Allen & Unwin, Bloomsbury and Mandee@YA Vegan Nerds for the above awesomeness<3


What goodies did you receive this week? Leave links! :D

Book Review: Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris

Unravelling 
by Elizabeth Norris
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia/Balzer + Bray
Release Date: May, 2012 (AU)/24th April (US)
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

UNRAVELLING.WAS.INCREDIBLE. IT WAS FREAKING EPIC! No kidding- I’m IN LOVE with this book; the characters, the plot, the ROMANCE; Everything about the book was flawless! There’s nothing I would change about it. I just wish I could literally jump into the book and experience the adventures with this cast of fabulous and memorable characters (Seriously, my life is so boring compared to Janelle’s! Why can’t I live a life full of excitement and adrenaline-pumping action and adventure? ) The rest of my review will probably be filled with excessive exclamation marks, squealing, fan-girling and just plain…over-enthusiam. So, BE PREPARED. Let’s start with Janelle and Ben! I liked Janelle the minute I met her; and as the story progressed, I began to like her even more! She was brave, determined and selfless; everyone time something happens, the first person she thinks of is her brother- her brother’s safety is her priority. I seriously admired this side of her; it’s not every day you meet someone so selfless and caring! And  BEN! Ben isn’t the popular jock every girl falls in love with; he’s not the ‘girl-tossing-bad-boy’ we’re so used to reading about; he’s not a smokin’ hot paranormal creature in the body of a teenage boy who every girl falls head-over-heels for; he’s certainly notperfect, yet in my mind he IS perfect! In a way, he’s completely different from every YA love interest, but he’s charming in his own way! Okay, I know I’m going around in circles, but if you want to know Ben more, GO REA D THIS BOOK! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with him as well :)! Bascially he’s a mix of everything you’d LOVE in a guy and everything you’d never expect and well…HE’S JUST BLOODY PERFECT, ALRIGHT?! The plot was unique, full of mystery and every page is full of surprises and something important to the storyline. There were all these jaw-dropping moments and unexpected twists that had me falling in love with it even more! There wasn’t one moment when I felt bored. I was also fascinated by the FBI-related cases and scenes in the book. Anything FBI-related, I LOVE! There’s also a lot of physics & chemistry terms which, by the way will usually put me off since I tend to stay away from anything related to physic but in this case, I actually understood everything and couldn’t put it down! Now, I should probably warn you that there’s a lot of swearing. (Or it’s probably just me going overboard since I’m not used to reading books with swearing?) Anyway, here, I thought the swearing actually gave the characters dimension and made them more believable – especially Elijah! Another thing I LOVED about this book was the fact that there WAS NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Oh God, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I literally died of happiness once I realised that there probably wouldn’t be a love triangle half way through the book! Janelle, however has a best friend – Alex. And he totally stole my heart as well! Their relationships is strictly FRIENDSHIP; and I absolutely loved these two! Their friendship reminded me a little of Harry and Hermione ! :D Ohmyfreakinggoodness, that ending ripped my heart to pieces! I had no idea how the author would end it; I thought of all these possibilities and the way the book ended did cross my mind, but I just didn’t want to face that possibility. It was too heart-wrenching! But I guess, I’m still glad the book ended the way it did. I just hope that there will be a sequel! PLEASE! LET THERE BE A SEQUEL!!! I’m really sorry for such a long review, but Unravellling was SO AMAZING that I could probably talk all day and write several pages on why I love it so much! Bascially, tip of the day; GO BUY/BORROW/STEAL A COPY IMMEDIATELY! Unravelling is officially another 2012 must-read!

Blog Tour: Streamline - Excerpt and Giveaway!

Hey everyone :) Welcome to my stop on the official blog tour for Streamline by Jennifer Lane. I'll be sharing with you a short excerpt from this book, and there will be a giveaway at the end of the post!

Streamline 
by Jennifer Lane
Published by Omnific Publishing
Released March 27th 2012
Goodreads

Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone.

Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter--her father--is in prison for murder.

Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.

Excerpt

After the company commander led them in a swift jog to the PT

field, she addressed them. “Good morning.” She surveyed the group.

“Welcome to the Academy. As you may recall, I’m Midshipman

Second Company Commander Viva Nevington. We’ll meet in the

p-way every morning at zero-five-hundred hours.”

Leo wondered how he’d be on time considering the detailers had

forbidden watches and alarm clocks. He wondered if the likes of Axl

Rose would be his new alarm clock.

“Next we’ll have at least ninety minutes of physical training,”

Nevington resumed. “This will be the hardest time of your life, so

get ready for it.”

As he listened to tiny groans and gasps, Leo felt a smile threaten

to break through. Here we go. A thrilling energy coursed through him.

“Following our little workout this morning, we’ll dress in our

whiteworks for more training,” Company Commander Nevington

continued. “I’d like to introduce your platoon commanders and squad

leaders who will oversee your conditioning. To my left…”

Leo felt his skin tingle as it did on the starting blocks. He couldn’t

wait to get this party started. But this was an endurance test ahead.

Chill out, amigo. He was a sprinter, and making it through Plebe

Summer would be more like a marathon. 

I hope you enjoyed this short excerpt :) Leo sure does sound athletic! I personally can't wait to read the rest of the book! And, on to the giveaway; one winner will win an ecopy of Streamline thanks to the lovely people at Omnific Publishing :) Giveaway ends May 16th!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


And that's not all! The lovely author herself, is giving away a $20 Gift Card for any place of the winner's choice! (Amazon, B&N etc.) You can enter this awesome giveaway here:   http://jenniferlanebooks.blogspot.com/2012/05/streamline-blog-tour-may-7-12.html . 

For the full tour schedule, click HERE. 

Storm Blog Tour Winners!

The Storm Blog Tour is officially over! I hope you all had lots of fun <3 Below are the lucky winners of our 14 prize packs :)

International Prize Packs:

Elemental (ebook) + Storm + Spark preorder

Winner: Sarah Jane

Elemental (ebook) + Storm + Spark ARC

Winner: Cassie Frye

Copy of Storm + Spark Pre-order

Winner: Joanne S.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND Prize Packs:

Storm ARC + Spark preorder

Winner: Gabriella

Each receive a copy of Storm:

Thanks to Allen and Unwin!

Emma

Teresa L.

Alice S

Alexandra

Michelle A

Mary Preston

Kate

Mary Perez

Taneika

Keely 

  

 

CONGRATZ GUYS!<3 I hope you all end up LOVING Storm! It's certainly one of my favourite 2012 books so far :) For those who didn't win, make sure you go and buy yourself a copy ASAP! You do NOT want to miss out! :)

Showcase Sunday 06-05-12

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky @ Books, Biscuits and Bites. Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren, the aim of this meme is to showcase our newest books!

Showcase Sunday will be replacing In My Mailbox from now on :)

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

 YAY! I've been trying to obtain all four books in the series since like..last year! The only book I'm missing now, is The Iron Queen! 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

INSURGENT. Need I say more? I don't know why I ended up receiving two copies; but if any Aussies want this, I'm happy to swap :)

Love Notes from Vingear House by Karen Tayleur

This has been described as "Rebecca meets Gossip Girl" - I'm not sure if "Rebecca" is a book/movie/show/ or some famous person I'm not aware of, but anything similar to GOSSIP GIRL? I'm definitely in!

Whisper by Alyson Noel

I won't be reading this series unfortunately, so if any Aussies want it, tell me!

The Industry by Rose Foster

I reviewed this last year & absolutely loved it! So happy to have a finished copy now :) 

Disharmony by Leah  Giarratano 

Oohh this one sounds AMAZING. Plus it's an Aussie YA :) "A psychopath... an empath... a genius. " How can you not want to read it after that? 

Fated by Alyson Noel

I haven't read any of Alyson Noel's books, but from what I hear they're probably not to my liking anyway :/ I'm a little hesitant to start this after reading some goodreads reviews:S

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

A Romeo and Juliet retelling? Sounds awesome, right? But too bad I never cared about Rosaline in the original play so I wonder how I'll feel about our main character....

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda 

This is definitely one of my most anticipated 2012 books :) It seems ALL the publicists at S&S LOVED it - I hope I will too!

Pure by Jennifer L.Armentrout

I read this as soon as I received it - IT WAS FREAKING FABULOUS! Trust Armentrout to write a sequel that surpasses the epicness of the first! Now I'm literally DESPERATE for Deity!

An enormous thank you to Keely@My Spin On Books, Lisa @ Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me, Harper Collins, Walker Books, Pan Macmillan, Penguin, Simon & Schuster and The Book Depository for delivering my copy of Pure to my house a mere 2 days after I bought it<33


What lovely goodies did you receive this week :) Leave a link below!

Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa + Giveaway!

Title: The Immortal Rules (Blood Of Eden #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 1st May, 2012 (AU)/24th April (US)
Format: Paperback 
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

JULIE KAGAWA, please, please, PLEASE don't EVER stop writing. Your books are addictive, enticing and no doubt my guilty pleasure! Gosh, from the Iron Fey series to The Immortal Rules , I swear I've experienced every possible emotion there is to feel. And right now, I'm feeling love and adoration for this fantastically written book, and absolute amazement at how someone could write such a brilliant piece of work. Eeeeee! It's official; The Immortal Rules is by far, my most favourite 2012 book!  Looks like the Queen of world-building and writing kick-butt heroines strikes again!  The world-building once again, is flawless! I loved the disturbingly dark and gritty world Kagawa has created, where vampires( and thank goodness, these vamps are blood-sucking, soulless monsters, who are more than happy to rip apart their prey *shudder* ) and humans co-exist. And guess what? it's completely different from the Iron Fey world, but equally fascinating! Allie is possibly one of the most kick-ass, fierce and loyal heroines ever! She's just...AMAZING. Like Rose Hathaway-amazing and Hermione Granger-amazing. She's the complete opposite of all those typical female leads we're so used to reading about - the ones who follow their vampire/angel/werewolf boyfriend around like a lost puppy. You'll be glad Allie doesn't need a guy to say the whole'Trust me...Don't be afraid.. I won't hurt you... I'll protect you with my life' line every 2 seconds; she's certainly capable of looking after herself!  She has certainly earned her place on my list of 'Most Respected Characters'!! (Oh, and you know what's more kick-ass than an independent and strong FEMALE VAMPIRE ? An independent and strong female vampire wielding a KATANA and using it to kill other vampires/creatures!)  Oh, and did I mention how much I LOVE Zeke? I love how he's so different from the typical YA love interests, yet he's still swoon-worthy and is able to make your heart beat just a little faster <3 And there's also KANIN! I'll admit I still have no idea how old he is-or actually how old he's suppose to appear as-, but his brief appearance in the book has certainly made quite an impression on me - which translates to HE HAS STOLEN MY HEART! I certainly hope we'll discover more about Kanin in the next book, because I'm incredibly intrigued by this mysterious, powerful and sympathetic vampire :) With a cast of endearing characters - ones you'll love and never forget-, an original and captivating plot and a new take on the traditional vampires, which im sure we've all missed, The Immortal Rules is simply a page-turner.  So...if you haven't grabbed a copy of this yet, you must be out of your mind. GO BUY A COPY IMMEDIATELY! You WON'T be disappointed! Anddd have you checked out the fantastic trailer? I FREAKING LOVE IT!

Giveaway!

Thanks to the lovely people at Harlequin Teen and Morey Media, you have the chance to win a copy of The Immortal Rules! 

Giveaway is for Australian residents only & ends 10th May!

Extra Entries:

+2 - Tweet

+2- 'Like' HarlequinTeen AUS FB page 

+3 - Leave a comment

FILL OUT THE FORM HERE! 

GOOD LUCK! :D