January 21, 2015

Tear You Apart Blog Tour + Giveaway!



About the Author

Sarah Cross is the author of the fairy tale novels Kill Me Softly and Tear You Apart, the superhero novel Dull Boy, and the Wolverine comic "The Adamantium Diaries." She loves fairy tales, lowbrow art, secret identities and silence.

☆ How to find Sarah ☆
WebsiteTwitterFacebookGoodreadsPinterestTumblr


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆


About the Book

An edgy fairy tale retelling of "Snow White" set in the world of Kill Me Softly for fans of Once Upon a Time and Grimm.

Faced with a possible loophole to her "Snow White" curse, Viv goes underground, literally, to find the prince who's fated to rescue her. But is life safe in the Underworld worth the price of sacrficing the love that might kill her?

POP CULTURE CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF TWISTING FAIRY TALES: ABC's Once Upon a Time and NBC's Grimm continue to pull in high ratings. And with the anticipated Angelina Jolie Maleficent (2014), the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods (2014), and Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella (2015), Hollywood is infected with fairy tale fever.

CAMEOS FROM FAVORITE CHARACTERS: Viv, who first appeared in Kill Me Softly trailed by her brooding boy-toy Henley, takes center stage in this new Beau Rivage tale. Other familiar characters including Blue and Jewel are back to help her defy her destiny.

TEENS LOVE THIS FAIRY TALE WORLD: Kill Me Soflty was a 2013 YALSA Teens' Top 10. Readers have been clamoring for a sequel.

A FRESH TAKE ON THE FAMILIAR: Drawing on "Snow White," "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," and "Rumpelstiltskin," Tear You Apart is very conscious of the way these stories have pervaded pop culture, twisting known tropes into an exciting new story that can stand on its own.

☆ How to find Tear You Apart ☆
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆







☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆



This is a tour hosted giveaway!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
10 winners will receive a signed finished copy of TEAR YOU APART. US/Canada Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



☆ The Tour ☆

Week One:
1/19/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Story Post
1/20/2015- Crossroad Reviews- Spotlight Post
1/21/2015- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Story Post
1/22/2015- Bumbles and Fairy-Tales- Review
1/23/2015- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Story Post

Week Two:
1/26/2015- Jump Into Books- Review
1/27/2015- Du Livre- Story Post
1/28/2015- Head Stuck In A Book- Review
1/29/2015- A Glass of Wine- Story Post
1/30/2015- A Backwards Story- Story Post and Review of the novella TWIN ROSES

January 14, 2015

The Darkest Part of the Forest Tour Stop + Giveaway!




About the Author

Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award and for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of both an Andre Norton Award and a Newbery Honor. Her new books are The Darkest Part of the Forest, a return to faerie fiction, and The Iron Trial, the first book in a middle grade fantasy series, Magisterium, co-authored by Cassandra Clare. Holly currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door.


☆ How to find Holly ☆
WebsiteTwitterFacebookGoodreadsPinterestTumblr


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆


About the Book

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?


☆ How to find The Darkest Part of the Forest ☆
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆



Quotes and Excerpts from Chapter 1


Down a path worn into the woods, past a stream and a hollowed- out log full of pill bugs and termites, was a glass coffin. It rested right on the ground, and in it slept a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Hazel kissed boys for all kinds of reasons— because they were cute, because she was a little drunk, because she was bored, because they let her, because it was fun, because they looked lonely, because it blotted out her fears for a while, because she wasn’t sure how many kisses she had left.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

“Hazel, Hazel, blue of eye. Kissed the boys and made them cry,” Carter said, because Carter could be a jerk.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Anyone who offers up their heart on a silver platter deserves what they get.

There was only one way to get over a boy. Only one way that ever worked.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Across the clearing, illuminated by Stephen’s headlights, Tom Mullins, linebacker and general rageaholic, leaped up onto the glass coffin suddenly enough to make the girls hop off. He looked completely wasted, face flushed and hair sticking up with sweat.

“Hey,” he shouted, jumping up and down, stomping like he was trying to crack the glass.

“Hey, wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey. Come on, you ancient f***, get up!”

“Quit it,” said Martin, waving for Tom to get down. “Remember what happened to Lloyd?”

Lloyd was the kind of bad kid who liked to start fires and carried a knife to school. When teachers were taking attendance, they were hard- pressed to remember whether he wasn’t there because he was cutting class or because he was suspended. One night last spring Lloyd took a sledgehammer to the glass coffin. It didn’t shatter, but the next time Lloyd set a fire, he got burned. He was still in a hospital in Philadelphia, where they had to graft skin from his a** onto his face. Some people said the horned boy had done that to Lloyd, because he didn’t like it when people messed with his coffin. Others said that whoever had cursed the horned boy had cursed the glass, too. So if anyone tried to break it, that person would bring bad luck on themselves. Though Tom Mullins knew all that, he didn’t seem to care.

Hazel knew just how he felt.



☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆



This is a tour hosted giveaway!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
10 winners will receive a hardcover of THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST.US only.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



☆ The Tour ☆

Week One:
1/5/2015- Me, My Shelf and I- Review
1/6/2015- Chapter by Chapter- Guest Post
1/7/2015- Reading YA Rocks- Review
1/8/2015- Mundie Moms- Guest Post
1/9/2015- YA Bibliophile- Review


Week Two:
1/12/2015- Page Turners Blog- Guest Post
1/13/2015- Fictitious Delicious- Review
1/14/2015- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Guest Post
1/15/2015- Novel Novice- Review
1/16/2015- Alice Marvels- Guest Post

January 6, 2015

Ignite by Sara B. Larson Blog Tour! Dream Cast + Giveaway!




About the Author

Sara loves writing, reading, and dessert--but the order varies by the day. She wrote her first book in second grade about a woman who had a premature baby, complete with a "to scale" drawing of the baby's size--while her mom was pregnant. To say she was a bit precocious is putting it lightly. Now that she’s an adult, she writes books for teens that have magic and romance and kick-butt girls (and very few premature babies). She lives in Utah with her husband, two young sons and baby girl. She writes during naptime and the hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims that she should have a degree in "the art of multitasking." On occasion you will find her hiding in a bubble bath with a book and some Swedish Fish.



☆ How to find Claudia ☆
WebsiteTwitterFacebookGoodreadsPinterest


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆


About the Book

Murder, abductions, and forbidden romance abound in this thrilling sequel to Sara B. Larson's acclaimed YA debut, DEFY.

Alexa remains by the newly crowned King Damian’s side as his guard, ever committed to helping him rebuild Antion and reclaim the hope of Antion's people, despite continuing to harbor a secret love for him. However, when another threat to Damian and his kingdom emerges, and blame is cast on their newly forged allies from Blevon, Alexa knows things are not what they seem. With the fate of her nation hanging in the balance once again, will Alexa be able to protect her king and uncover the true enemy -- before it's too late?



☆ How to find Ignite ☆
GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & Noble



☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆




Dream Cast for Defy/Ignite


This is actually really hard! When I think of the characters I’ve created, I know exactly what they look like, what they sound like, and move like. So it’s hard to find a “real world” individual who exactly matches what’s in my mind. And I know as a reader it’s tough for me to see some of my favorite characters from beloved books portrayed on-screen since I’ve imagined them so thoroughly.

A lot of readers may not realize that Alexa and Damian are both multiracial. Blevon, one of the countries in DEFY and IGNITE, was influenced by Asian culture and even the Blevonese language is inspired by the Chinese language. If you look at my Pinterest board for “DEFY dream cast” you’ll see some of the actors I’ve been drawn to recently and think might fit into the cast for a future DEFY movie. Of course, who knows what terrific actors are on the horizon!

For Rylan: I think Theo James would actually be a fantastic fit. He kind of reminded me the most of what Rylan looks like. Plus he’s just so good at nuanced acting, at showing what we as authors try to describe!



For Alexa: Kristin Kreuk. She even has the perfect hazel eyes! Song Hye Kyo is another actress I recently discovered that I think might do a great job.



For Damian: Dennis Oh (O’Neil). With blue contacts (for Damian’s piercing blue eyes), I think he would be a great fit. Or if you could somehow combine Godfrey Gao and Ian Somerhalder into one person (and keep Ian’s eyes)! I mean, can you think of an actor who is better at doing that smoldering smirk? Plus he’s also great at acting like a jerk, while still letting you realize there are hidden layers to his character.




Ziyi Zhang could be Damian’s mother for any flashbacks.



Huang Xiaoming might be a great Eljin.



I have pictures of all of these actors and actresses on my Pinterest board.


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆



This is a tour hosted giveaway!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
1 Finished Copy of IGNITE and a Dagger Charm. US Only.
9 Finished Copies of IGNITE. US Only.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

☆ The Tour ☆

Week One:
12/29/2014- Reading YA Rocks- Interview
12/30/2014- Crossroad Reviews- Review
12/31/2014- Mundie Moms- Guest Post
1/1/2015- Fiction Fare- Review
1/2/2015- Dark Faerie Tales- Interview


Week Two:
1/5/2015- A Backwards Story- Review
1/6/2015- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads - Guest Post
1/7/2015- The Book Cellar- Review
1/8/2015- Supernatural Snark- Interview
1/9/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post



Dear followers, fans and peeps! Some of the books I review on Magical Urban Fantasy Reads are provided to me for free by either the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. Please know that I am in NO WAY compensated for my reviews. All opinions are mine and I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for a free book! But some of the purchase links on my blog are monetized through places like Amazon, Book Depository or Barnes & Noble.