Best I've Read 2010 Day 4 bonus

So today we are lucky enough to have a bonus post and giveaway! So on top of the awesomeness in this mornings post- we also have Laura Kreitzer's Shadow of the Sun!

Shadow of the Sun
By: Laura Kreitzer
Release date: 2-22-2010
Published by: iUniverse

Summary: Gabriella's past is a mystery, but that never stopped her from achieving her goals. As a supernatural specialist, and far more intelligent than anyone her age, she has always been ignored by her peers. Because of the isolation she has always felt, she put her life and soul into her job. Being a supernatural specialist hasn't given her the divine intervention she always longed for, until one day a shipment arrives from Italy containing three dead bodies with an uncanny ability to regenerate. Gabriella is frightened and intrigued, but not as scared as she becomes when a dark creature attacks her.
As the bodies come back to life, the plot takes an unexpected twist that you won't see coming. The supernatural world only begins to unfold before her as angels appear, her dreams start to haunt her, and the very past she has forgotten comes back with startling clarity. Romance blooms, escape plans are made, an assassin is out to kill her, and death is only around the corner. But what is more terrifying than all of it is the fact she is the chosen one, the Illuminator, the one who will save them all.

Now....the giveaway. Simply fill out the form below for your chance to win a copy of Shadow of the Sun!

Best I've Read 2010 Day 4

Day four of Best I've Read 2010 is here and with it some more fabulous featured authors! Today we have Julie Kagawa, Kirsten Miller, Lee Nichols, Elizabeth Eulberg.

***********************************
Julie Kagawa
Author of the Iron Fey series and the lady who gave us Prince Ash (forgive me while I swoon a little...

Okay I'm better now.)

Iron Queen
by: Julie Kagawa
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 2-1-2011

Summary: I thought it was over.That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stay by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back. (from Goodreads.com)

I had the good fortune to interview Julie, it was great to get a little insight into how she created her world and especially whether Iron Queen would be the last we'd see of Meghan Chase (and Ash)

How did you come up with the idea for the Iron Fey?
Faeries, the old, ancient fey, not the glittery winged sprites, have always fascinated me. But I wanted to write a book that was different than other faery books. So I began thinking: what are the fey afraid of? The answer, in most ancient mythos, is iron. Faeries can’t stand the touch of iron and steel. So, what if there was a new type of fey that had evolved with progress over the years? What if they weren’t only immune to iron, their existence was slowly poisoning and corrupting the lands of the traditional fey? And I realized we already have “monsters” in machines: gremlins, bugs, viruses, ect. And from that thought, the Iron fey were born.

The Iron King and The Iron Daughter are both full of details about the Fairy world. What sort of research did you do?
Mostly online. There's so much stuff about faeries floating around out there, it was a landslide of information. I also researched some Grimm and Shakespeare, but stayed away from other faery novels like Holly Black's Tithe and Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, because I didn't want to unconsciously copy their mythology. But once Iron King was done, the first thing I did was read Tithe, and I loved it.

Did you find it hard to weave the Iron Fey into the existing fey mythology?
With the way The Iron King's mythology is set up, it was almost natural to slip them in. The idea that the fey came from mankind's dreams and fears made it very easy to add a new kind of fey to the mix, one born from our thirst for technology and progress.

Do you have a favorite character from the Iron Fey series?
I will have to go with Ash, because I have a thing for dark, broody bad boys who can wield sharp pointy objects. But Grimalkin runs a very, very close second.

We know that the Iron Queen is coming out this February. Will this be the final book in the Iron Fey series?
No, actually. It was just recently announced that there will be a fourth book, THE IRON KNIGHT. I can't say much about it except this: if you've ever wondered what goes on in Ash's head, you're in luck. THE IRON KNIGHT is Ash's story.

*******************************************

Elizabeth Eulberg
Author of The Lonely Heart Club and Prom & Prejudice
Fellow SU alum and cheesehead (i.e. made of awesome)
Side note- Eulberg is one of my favorite authors- and not just because she is a cheesehead. Her books are fabulous and provide some really important messages about being strong and being yourself at a time in your life (i.e. High School) when it's so easy to lose track of yourself.

The Lonely Hearts Club
By Elizabeth Eulberg
Published by Point
Released December 29, 2009
http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/

Love is all you need... or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut.

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . . .



***********************************

Kirstin Miller
Author of The Eternal Ones

The Eternal Ones

by Kirsten Miller
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Release: August 2010
http://www.theeternalones.com/
http://www.kikistrike.com/

Book Summary (from Penguin): Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.
In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves, before all is lost and the cycle begins again.
************************************

Lee Nichols
Author of Deception

Deception
By: Lee Nichols
Published by: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Lee Nichols' website: www.leenicholsbooks.com


Book summary (from goodreads.com):

When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

***************************************

Giveaway time!!! Today we have one package and it's a good one. It's open US only- but have no fear international fans there will be mroe contests for you coming up. Simply fill out the form below for your chance to win the following:

• Signed Julie Kagawa book plates
• 1 copy of The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
• 1 copy of Deception by Lee Nichols
• 1 copy of The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Best I've Read 2010 Day 3

Today I'm featuring some of my favorite authors- Cassandra Clare, Orson Scott Card, Morgan Matson and Kersten Hamilton. So let's get to it!

********************************

Cassandra Clare
Author of The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices series

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 2010
http://cassandraclare.com/cms/home

Book Summary (from Simon & Schuster): Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
***********************************

Orson Scott Card
Author of Pathfinder

Pathfinder
By: Orson Scott Card
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Card's website: www.hatrack.com

Book summary (from author website):
A powerful secret. A dangerous path.

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg's strange talent for seeing the paths of people's pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him -- secrets about Rigg's own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Rigg's birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent . . . or forfeit control of his destiny.

*******************************

Morgan Matson
Author of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Released: May 2010
http://twitter.com/morgan_m

Book Summary (from Simon & Schuster): Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

**************************************
Kersten Hamilton
Auhtor of Tyger, Tyger

Tyger, Tyger
By Kersten Hamilton
Published by Clarion Books
Released November 15, 2010

Shipped Internationally as long as the Book Depository Delivers to their country.

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming.

******************************************

And now it's time for a giveaway!! Today we have three prize packages to giveaway. Package three is even international- so long as the book depository ships to your country you're in! Simply fill out the form below to enter. This contest is open until midnight on December 15th.

Package ONE:
• 1 copy of Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
• 1 copy of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
• 1 copy of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Package TWO:
• 1 copy of Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
• 1 copy of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
• 1 copy of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Package THREE (Open Internationally - The Book Depository must ship to the winner's country):
• 1 copy of Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton