Skylark by Meagan Spooner

Skylark by Meagan Spooner
"Vis in magia, in vita vi. In magic there is power, and in power, life.

For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley waited for the day when her Resource would be harvested and she would finally be an adult. After the harvest she expected a small role in the regular, orderly operation of the City within the Wall. She expected to do her part to maintain the refuge for the last survivors of the Wars. She expected to be a tiny cog in the larger clockwork of the city.

Lark did not expect to become the City's power supply.

For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley believed in a lie. Now she must escape the only world she's ever known...or face a fate more unimaginable than death."- summary from Amazon

I really enjoyed this book, though I don't think it's for everyone. There's very little dialogue, at least not until the end, and Lark spends a lot of time trying to get somewhere. So there's a lot of prose and internal thoughts and occasionally events happen for some excitement. If you're looking for more of an action book, this isn't it. But I loved following along on Lark's journey and her voice made it easy to read the book and it kept a good pace.

Spooner does a good job setting up her world in such a short space since Lark escapes within the first 100 pages, and of course Lark compares the new world to the one she just left, and also reminisces about it. It's interesting the way magic is used and utilized in various settings, and it's clever to have it be used in more than one way. It's very versatile.

I'm intrigued to see where the story goes next (there's two more books) and I hope to spring back into Lark's world soon!

FTC: Received hardcover at BEA (signed!). Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Blog Tour- Golden by Jessi Kirby

Golden by Jessi Kirby
"Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference."- summary from Amazon

I absolutely loved Kirby's debut and have been meaning to read her second book In Honor since I got it last year, but being on this blog tour forced me to find time for Golden, her third book. Reading this really made me want to read In Honor, which I'll probably do very soon. Kirby crafts these wonderful coming-of-age tales that are just perfect; I really loved Parker as a main character and seeing her grow over the course of the novel.

The mystery of the novel made it very interesting too; that, along with Kirby's compelling writing, really kept the story moving. I had problems putting the book down. I wanted to see how everything would turn out and it was simply amazing. I just loved it.

In terms of characters, there's mainly just Parker, Kat and Trevor. Yes, there's Parker's mom, and the teacher, but it felt to me like those three were the main focus. It was nice to see a small cast of characters and get to know them. Their interactions were very realistic and they just felt like real friends. Seeing Parker and Trevor get closer throughout the novel was fun too.

Overall, seriously, just pick up this book. It's awesome and a perfect way to start the summer!

Follow the rest of the blog tour by clicking here and here's a giveaway for all of Jessi's books:

a Rafflecopter giveaway



FTC: Received e-galley from Edelweiss. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Of Triton by Anna Banks

SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Of Triton by Anna Banks
"Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm. Syrena law states all Half-Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance in the Syrena world turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?"- summary from Amazon

So I read this book pretty quickly. After the events in Of Poseidon, I wanted to continue Emma and Galen's story as soon as possible. And oh my goodness, I loved it!! I did want to punch a few characters (the bad guys, not like Emma or Galen), and most of the beginning of the book could've been shortened if people just stood around and talked things out. I was seriously thinking that the whole time, even though I loved the drama and action of it; I was like "OMG just stay there, listen, and talk things out. It will be so much better that way.". I tend to think that a lot when reading some books.

But anyway, I really enjoyed the new dilemma that cropped up and how it was resolved. I also liked the occasional tackling/punching of the bad guys by the good guys throughout the book and may have said "YES!" while pumping my fist. The ending was really nice too and I loved how things turned out. I was positive this was a trilogy though, but it feels like this is THE end so maybe it's a duology? I don't know, but at least if there is another book, this one didn't have a big cliffhanger like the first one.

Overall, a great sequel and I'm so glad I read these books. Definitely check them both out when Of Triton comes out next month!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
"Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk."- summary from Amazon

I'd been wanting to read this book for a while, but hadn't gotten around to it until a blogger friend of mine asked for my copy of the sequel when I was looking to get rid of some books (I'm running out of room!). Of course, as soon as she asked, I was like "Can you wait a bit while I read both books?" LOL. Luckily, she agreed.

And I gotta say, I'm actually glad I waited until now to read this book because that HUGE cliffhanger of an ending made me want the sequel right away. Seriously, if you haven't yet read Of Poseidon, wait until Of Triton comes out so you can read both back-to-back.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. Banks' debut is a great take on Syrenas (aka mermaids, but don't call them that to their faces), filled with some wonderful mythology, humor, and a lovely romance. First off, the mythology is nice and well thought-out. It was fun learning it all as Emma learned about it, and made the story compelling. The humor was another bright spot; if there's humor in a book, it really endears me to it and I'll admit that I laughed out loud a few times.

The romance was fun and I liked seeing Galen and Emma's interactions morph into romance. They're a cute couple. What made it interesting was Banks' idea of switching POVs between the two of them. I liked being able to see their perspectives on certain events and learn what the other was thinking. With this, we got a lot of different settings in case Emma and Galen happened to be apart.

Overall, a fun debut and I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a good romance or mermaid/Siren read.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Signing Recap- Sarah Dessen at Flyleaf Books

So last month on April 16, I attended the kick-off event for Sarah Dessen's What Happened to Goodbye paperback tour in Chapel Hill at the awesome Flyleaf Books. This is my fourth time seeing her (she joins the legion of authors-I've-seen-multiple-times like Maggie Stiefvater, Jodi Meadows, and Melissa Marr) and it's just so much fun. Added into the mix was her awesome publicist and a friend of mine Elyse! It was great seeing them both again.

So anyway, I drove down, grabbed a VERY quick dinner beforehand and got some expensive gas (my tank actually hit E just as I pulled in), then headed over to Flyleaf. I got there just a few minutes before the event started, so was only able to say a quick hello to Elyse before going to find a seat. The place was PACKED. I was one of like four males in attendance (one of whom was Sarah's husband)- not sure if they were just with their girl friends or if they really did like Sarah and her books. I found a seat and started reading The Moon and More while I waited for the event to start.

A bookstore employee (maybe the owner- can't remember!) introduced Sarah and then Sarah talked a little bit about What Happened to Goodbye, and also gave a little hint of The Moon and More. She even read an excerpt- the beginning of the book, which I'd just read, lol. So I was like "I just read that and now I'm hearing it!"

After that, she took questions for about half an hour, ranging from inspiration to her favorite boy and girl main characters to write to the editorial process. Sarah's very funny and I love listening to her speak. After the QnA, she signed books. I stayed near the back of the line because I wanted a picture and a chance to chat with her a bit. Since I had a TON of time (like I said, it was packed so the line was very long), I started more of The Moon and More. This girl behind me looked at the cover and asked "Where did you get that?" She was the first person to ask, though MANY girls had walked by and looked at me puzzlingly. I told her that Sarah's publicist had sent it to me and that I'm a book blogger. I gave her my last business card that I had with me (forgot to stock my wallet with them before I left) and we struck up a conversation and gave each other book recommendations. She was actually a graduate student at UNC and was doing her thesis project on Sarah Dessen, so she used me as a source. We were only able to do one question before we got up to Sarah. Sarah waved at me and was like "James, hello!!" (which made me feel good inside; I like authors who are nice to me) and we chatted for a few minutes while she signed my ARC. I got a picture with her and Elyse, who I had to include because she's an awesome publicist and I love seeing her.

I found out the girl's name was Melissa, and after we got our books signed, we sat down and had a little mini-interview. It was nice for me because I love being asked questions (well, ones I can answer); seriously, if you see me at an event, just ask me a bunch of questions about books, blogging and writing and it will be a fun time. But anyway, she's using me as a source for her project, which was very sweet of her.

I almost forgot- while she and I were chatting, some young girl came up to us and asked how I'd gotten an ARC of The Moon and More. I pointed to Elyse, and said "Sarah's publicist sent it to me." Then, as I was explaining WHY she sent it to me ("I'm a book blogger."), the girl just said "Oh" and walked away IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TALKING. I only said two sentences! You can't stick around for both? While it was rude, it was also pretty funny.

Since we had been chatting, the line had finished, so Sarah was just signing stock and getting ready to leave. I hung around for a few minutes, then said bye to everyone. I thought it was funny that we all had to get up early the next day- them at 5am for a plane, me at 5:30 for work. I got all the way to my car before realizing I should have used the restroom so I went back in and asked where it was, then used it. I'm really hoping those booksellers know I was there for the event and was not just there to use the bathrooms, then leave.

All in all, another fun book event and I may go see Sarah again during her tour next month. We shall see!

Pic 1- The outside of Flyleaf Books
Pic 2- The LONG signing line (you can see a bit of Sarah's table on the left there)
Pic 3- Me, Elyse, and Sarah (from l to r)
Pic 4- Sarah signing stock and also the huge poster they had made for the event. How cool is that?!