Cover Love #29

A SHATTERED EMPIRE
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A DARK LEGACY
Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé
rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM
Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins.
A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat.

The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

Look at that cover, you guys. LOOK AT IT! I didn't know if the designers could top Stormdancer, BUT THEY HAVE. 

First of all, can we talk about the colors? Whereas Stormdancer was really playing up the blood-red motif, Kinslayer is dark and sinister, but it keeps the creepy splashes of red in Yukiko's clothing. And wowza, Yukiko! That girl looks ready to wreak some serious havoc. I love it when a cover model is rough and tumble, rather than sleek and shiny.

But the best part, in my opinion, is that background. WOW. WOW WOW WOW. Buruu looks positively vicious, and guys, he's fighting a sea monster! A SEA MONSTER! I have a feeling that particular beastie will haunt me in my sleep. As scared as I am to face the inevitable trauma awaiting me in Kinslayer, I am super-excited as well. What a cover. WHAT A COVER!

What do you think of the Kinslayer cover? And what cover are you loving this week?

Top 10 Tuesday - Fave Book Covers Of Books I've Read

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Today's TTT topic is favorite book covers. Thankfully, the gals at TB&tB narrow it down to favorite book covers of books I've actually read, or we'd all be in big trouble. Even still, this was a hard week for me. So many choices! Below are the ten books I've chosen. I've tried to keep explanations to a minimum. Also, if you like this sort of thing, be sure to check out my bi-weekly meme, Cover Love!

Even prettier in person, my lands!

Technically not a good fit for the story itself, but still gorgeous

Captures the tone perfectly, and Will is so hot.

!!!!

All the covers in this series could have been chosen, but this one's best

Perfection

The weight, the solemnity, the threat... It's all perfect

Sinister and intriguing

She's coming to EAT ME!!

Breathtaking and exotic

Well, that's all for me. What do you think of these covers, and what covers would you add?

Review: WILD AWAKE by Hilary T. Smith

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

Once again, I find myself not being entirely sure what to say about a book. As such, this will probably be a short review, though not entirely in a bad way, as is sometimes the case.

Rewind & Review (9)

Here we are at the second weekly Rewind & Review EVER. I hope you all are liking this new timing better. It's certainly a lot easier on me. So yes, check out the stuff that happened over the last week. I went a little review-wild (for me, anyways), and my discussion post at the end of the week got some GREAT comments, so be sure to chime in.

Blog Posts You Might Have Missed

• Review: Insomnia by J.R. Johansson
• Wishlist Wednesday #28 (Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick)
• 2-for-1 Review of Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder and Furious by Jill Wolfson
• Author Behavior

I had a GREAT stuff week this week. My very first Better World Books package arrived this week and brought with it two Ally Carter hardcovers and two highly recommended books - all for $20! Also, Disney and MacMillan tag-teamed to make my review stack nice and sparkly this week. Preeeetty.

Stuff I Bought

• Sabriel by Garth Nix
• The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein
• Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
• Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

Stuff I Received

• Alienated by Melissa Landers (from the publisher)
• An exclusive nine-chapter excerpt of United We Spy by Ally Carter (from the publisher)
• Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts (Edelweiss)

A big thanks to Better World Books, Disney Hyperion, and MacMillan for my pretties!

This week, I tried to be more cognizant of interesting things floating about on the interwebs. This is by no means a conclusive list, but rather a collection of little things that caught my attention, as well as a few personal notes. Enjoy!

Miscellaneous Happenings

• Mother's Day! It was cool. We had pizza.
• Sarah J. Maas, author of the Throne of Glass series, just announced another series, and it sounds amazing.
• Ally Carter released the cover and title of the final Gallagher Girls book. I just have a speck of dust in my eye; don't mind me.
• A guy wrote in to advice columnist Carolyn Hax to complain about his wife who  - gasp! - enjoyed reading YA lit. Ms. Hax then proceeded to rain down fire upon the snob.
• The fam and I watched Iron Man 3. It rocked my socks.
• The movie poster for Catching Fire was released.
• Jay Kristoff released the new cover and synopsis for the sequel to Stormdancer, Kinslayer. He also has a blog hop going on with a chance to win great prizes!
• Apparently, New Adult is a category on Amazon now? (hat tip to BEA roomie Hannah)
• Laini Taylor announced the title of the third book in her Daughter of Smoke & Bone series (and it's pretty cool)
• One of my store coworkers is pregnant!
• Star Trek 2 came out! Still haven't seen it yet, but SOON.
• The season finale of Doctor Who aired. (I haven't seen it yet. Shhhh.)
• Yahoo! may or may not being buying Tumblr. Ugh.

Well, that's my week! If you all have any wrap-up posts of your own, be sure to link up at the top of the page. Also, I'd love to hear all about your week in the comment, so say hello. :)

Author Behavior

A lot has been made about proper and improper author behavior. A lot is being said, and I'm sure the talk will continue for as long as there are authors to talk about. It seems like every week, some author is getting himself or herself in a jam.

Given my area of the universe, I most often hear about authors behaving badly when it comes to negative reviews. There is story after story after story of authors flipping out when their "baby" (their book, not their actual child) is received negatively by reviewers and bloggers.

Posts after post has been written about this subject. Advice has been given by people much wiser than I. Yet authors continue to make dumb choices, and to be honest, I understand why. They're people. They're people with feelings and egos just like the rest of us, and some of them simply don't consider the fact that when they send their books off to be published it is no longer merely their "baby."

But I don't want to rehash all that. Anyone wishing to know how to deal with negative criticism need merely conduct a simple Google search. The advice is out there. Instead, I want to talk about good author behavior and how it has affected me.

I am very fortunate in that I have yet to meet a bad author. I know many of my blogger friends are not so lucky, which makes me all the more grateful. Every author I have interacted with has been, at the very least, professional and polite, while many go above and beyond that simple benchmark.

I was thinking extra-hard about this topic last week as I drove home from the library. With BEA coming up and review copies eyeing me balefully from every corner of my room, I don't really have time to go requesting extra books from the library, but for these two books I made an exception.

Many of my favorite authors will attend BEA at the end of May, and I sincerely long to meet them all. Also attending are Claire LeGrand and Susan Dennard. Ms. LeGrand is responsible for The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, a delightfully squeamish MG, and Ms. Dennard is responsible for Something Strange & Deadly, a historical YA zombie tale. If you fail to see how this ties into author behavior, just hang on for a minute.

I shouldn't have time to read an MG. I am primarily a YA blogger. I also shouldn't have time to read a zombie YA, as this particular book is one I tried to read over a year ago and stopped, as I was in a funk and couldn't click with the book. But for over a year now, I have followed and interacted with both Ms. LeGrand and Ms. Dennard on Twitter. Though I am just a floating pair of glasses and had not read either of their books, they are both unfailingly polite, personable, and accessible. I have watched, and both have handled their criticisms (both good and bad) with aplomb. No blow-ups, no freak-outs, no tirades.

Good author behavior barely makes a blip on anyone's radar, as it is not nearly as sensational as bad author behavior. Good author behavior is also what is expected. It's like applauding someone for washing their hands before dinner. Washing your hands before eating isn't something out of the ordinary.You just do it. And yet when a person is conscientious, professional, and polite, people notice. I notice. Good author behavior has gained both Ms. Dennard and Ms. LeGrand a personal fan, and I hope to soon upgrade my status to a rabid, book-buying fan. In fact, this last weekend I read Cavendish specifically because I like Ms. LeGrand, and I ADORED the book.

In the same way, I interact with both Jessica Khoury and Amy Tintera. Both are debut authors. Both have written books that I've read and reviewed (Origin and Reboot, respectively). Unfortunately, I disliked/failed to connect with both books. They weren't awful books, but I didn't enjoy myself and don't really plan to read either book again. However, when Ms. Khoury and Ms. Tintera inevitably come out with other books, I will at least feel a spark of interest. Why? Good author behavior. Both ladies are - again - polite, personable, and accessible. To my knowledge, neither are drama queens nor prone to tirades or pity parties (at least not in public). I associate only good things with both their names, and as authors, their names are their brands. As such, I will be more likely to pay attention to their books and talk up their work to my customers, my followers, and my friends.

Good author behavior impacts the bottom line. I'm not saying an author has to be my bestie for me to check out his or her books. However, authors who put themselves out there and unfailingly show their best side to the world will gain a larger following as a result. It doesn't matter how good a book is. If I hear that an author is pulling shenanigans, I won't waste my time or money supporting their endeavors.

So authors, treat people as you would like to be treated, both in person and online. And fellow readers, be sure to celebrate good author behavior. Like well-behaved children, our well-behaved authors plug away and watch as the spotlight passes by to shine (however harshly) on their more diabolical counterparts. If you know an author deserving of a friendly pat on the back, perhaps this is the week to do so. In fact, you can start right here.

If you know of an author that has influenced your reading/buying/following habits with their behavior, tell me in the comments!

2-for-1 Review: POISON STUDY and FURIOUS

Furious by Jill Wolfson 

Three high school girls become the avenging Furies of Greek legend.

We were only three angry girls, to begin with. Alix, the hot-tempered surfer chick; Stephanie, the tree-hugging activist; and me, Meg, the quiet foster kid, the one who never quite fit in. We hardly knew each other, but each of us nurtured a burning anger: at the jerks in our class, at our disappointing parents, at the whole flawed, unjust world.

We were only three angry girls, simmering uselessly in our ocean-side California town, until one day a mysterious, beautiful classmate named Ambrosia taught us what else we could be: Powerful. Deadly. Furious.

With its unnecessary prologue and stereotypical evil foster mom, Furious almost lost me in the very beginning. Fortunately, I did stick around and finish the book. Objectively, what I found was an interesting philosophical study. Subjectively... well, I'll get to that in a second.

What is true justice? Is it the eye-for-an-eye practice of ancient times? Is it the more benevolent justice refined by acts of forgiveness and mercy? How is justice enacted? Who enacts it? It's an interesting puzzle, if a bit muddled in the climax. Ms. Wolfson does a fabulous job of showing the seductive nature of vengeance. At first, vengeance feels right. It might even create something good. Attractive and addictive, the desire for revenge makes the justice-seeker feel powerful and in control. But instead, those who hunger for revenge are no more in charge than a junkie seeking her next fix.

So yes, from a philosophical standpoint, Furious was interesting. However, despite Ms. Wolfson's best efforts, I found I didn't care about the fates of the girls or their victims. I never connected with Meg, and I certainly had nothing in common with vindictive tree-hugger Stephanie or pugilistic surfer Alix. It is for this reason that I have very little to say in this review. However, I urge you all to try it for yourself, for I suspect the story and the characters will connect with you much better than they did with me.

Note: I received a physical ARC of Furious from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...

Another short review, this time for a story with wasted potential that made me so very angry. The synopsis sounded incredibly promising, and I know many people across the blogosphere who adore Yelena's story. I was not one of them.

It's so sad. I wanted to join in the magic with everyone else, and at the beginning, I thought I would be able to. The opening of Poison Study was very reminiscent of that of The Thief, one of my favorite books. I also thought the world presented was fascinating. Though a fantasy kingdom, Ixia reads more like a dystopian regime. It is split into numbered military districts and ruled by the all-powerful Commander. However, unlike most dystopian realms, the Commander instills values that we as readers know we should applaud. In Ixia, laws are unbending no matter the circumstances involved, but that also means that bribes and nepotism are unheard of. Gender equality is also strongly encouraged.

My issues, I think, boil down to three main problems. First, I did not connect with Yelena as well as I would have liked. I found her to be inconsistent and almost colorless in places. I also found myself unmoved by the romance presented (though, to be honest, I'm hoping a reread very far in the future may help with that.)

Second, while there were unique aspects within the story, they did not combine to form a story that was unique overall. I was bored. I knew where everything was headed. And even when something did surprise me (hello, Commander tidbit), the surprise lasted only a moment before I was bored again. The stilted dialogue peppered throughout certainly didn't help matters.

Third, and this is the biggie, I was shocked and bothered by the amount of sexual violence present. While I understand that sexual violence must sometimes be tolerated in a book, especially when used as social commentary, that was not the case in Poison Study. It felt like Yelena was being cornered, attacked, assaulted, or otherwise threatened at every turn, past the point of usefulness and well into gratuitousness. I was disgusted and bored.

Once again, many readers disagree with me, so go ahead and check it out for yourself. However, I doubt this one will ever worm its way into my heart.

Wishlist Wednesday #28

Hosted by Pen to Paper

In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was—that I couldn't stick around—and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault.

Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school's class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting book, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.

Not gonna lie, this one makes me very, very nervous. It's one thing to follow the story of a boy who ultimately commits suicide. That's sad, but somehow bearable. Following the story of a boy planning a murder-suicide, however, is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

And yet, I'm still interested. I want to know what happens. I want to know what the secrets are. I want to know why the title addresses Leonard despite the book being from Leonard's point of view. I wanna know! And I want to see how Mr. Quick portrays Lauren, the Christian homeschooler. As a Christian who was homeschooled, I'm a stickler about that sort of thing.

What do you think about this book? And what are you wishing for this week?